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lungs

 [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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Lungs is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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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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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
Cultural Dictionary

lungs definition


A pair of organs, the principal parts of the respiratory system, at the front of the cavity of the chest, or thorax. In the lungs, oxygen from the air that is inhaled is transferred into the blood, while carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and exhaled.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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