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lung

 [luhng]   Origin

lung

   [luhng]
noun
1.
either of the two saclike respiratory organs in the thorax of humans and the higher vertebrates.
2.
an analogous organ in certain invertebrates, as arachnids or terrestrial gastropods.
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Idiom
3.
at the top of one's lungs, as loudly as possible; with full voice: The baby cried at the top of his lungs.

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Lung is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
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Origin:
before 1000; Middle English lungen, Old English; cognate with German Lunge; akin to light2, lights

Related forms
lunged  [luhngd] , adjective
half-lunged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
lung (lʌŋ)
 
—n
1.  either one of a pair of spongy saclike respiratory organs within the thorax of higher vertebrates, which oxygenate the blood and remove its carbon dioxide
2.  any similar or analogous organ in other vertebrates or in invertebrates
3.  at the top of one's lungs in one's loudest voice; yelling
 
Related: pneumonic, pulmonary, pulmonic
 
[Old English lungen; related to Old High German lungun lung. Compare lights²]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

lung
O.E. lungen (pl.), from P.Gmc. *lungw- (cf. O.N. lunge, O.Fris. lungen, M.Du. longhe, Ger. lunge "lung"), lit. "the light organ," from PIE *lengwh- "not heavy, light, easy, agile, nimble" (cf. Rus. lëgkij, Pol. lekki "light;" Rus. lëgkoje, Pol. lekkie "lung," Gk. elaphros "light" in weight;
EXPAND
see also lever). Cf. Port. leve "lung," from L. levis "light;" Ir. scaman "lungs," from scaman "light;" Welsh ysgyfaint "lungs," from ysgafn "light." See also lights. Lung cancer attested from 1926.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

lung (lŭng)
n.
Either of the two saclike organs of respiration that occupy the pulmonary cavity of the thorax and in which aeration of the blood takes place. It is common for the right lung, which is divided into three lobes, to be slightly larger than the left, which has two lobes.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
lung   (lŭng)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Either of two spongy organs in the chest of air-breathing vertebrate animals that serve as the organs of gas exchange. Blood flowing through the lungs picks up oxygen from inhaled air and releases carbon dioxide, which is exhaled. Air enters and leaves the lungs through the bronchial tubes.

  2. A similar organ found in some invertebrates.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

lung

see at the top of one's lungs.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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