Bronchitis
/brɒŋˈkaɪtɪs/noun
Inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lungs.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek *brónkhos*, the same root behind medical terms for the bronchi, and its history shows how anatomy was named by observing the body as a branching passage for breath.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
brónkhos (βρόγχος)
“the windpipe or throat; later, the bronchial tubes”
Late Latin
Latin
bronchus
“the bronchial tube”
16th–17th Century
Medical Latin
bronchitis
“inflammation of the bronchial passages”
18th–19th Century
English
bronchitis
“a medical term for inflammation of the bronchi”
Modern English
English
bronchitis
“inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lungs”