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spiracle

 - 4 dictionary results

spi⋅ra⋅cle

  [spahy-ruh-kuhl, spir-uh-]
Use spiracle in a Sentence
–noun
1. a breathing hole; an opening by which a confined space has communication with the outer air; air hole.
2. Zoology.
a. an aperture or orifice through which air or water passes in the act of respiration, as the blowhole of a cetacean.
b. an opening in the head of sharks and rays through which water is drawn and passed over gills.
c. one of the external orifices of the tracheal respiratory system of certain invertebrates, usually on the sides of the body.
Origin:
1300–50; ME < L spīrāculum air hole, equiv. to spīrā(re) to breathe + -culum -cle 2

Related forms:
spi⋅rac⋅u⋅lar  [spahy-rak-yuh-ler, spi-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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spir·a·cle   (spĭr'ə-kəl, spī'rə-)   
n.  

  1. Zoology A respiratory aperture, especially:

    1. Any of several tracheal openings in the exoskeleton of an insect or a spider.

    2. A small respiratory opening behind the eye of certain fishes, such as sharks, rays, and skates.

    3. The blowhole of a cetacean.

  2. An aperture or opening through which air is admitted and expelled.


[Middle English, from Latin spīrāculum, from spīrāre, to breathe.]
spi·rac'u·lar (spī-rāk'yə-lər, spĭ-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
spiracle   (spĭr'ə-kəl, spī'rə-)  Pronunciation Key 
An opening through which certain animals breathe, such as the blowhole of a whale or one of the openings in the exoskeleton of an insect.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

spiracle

in arthropods, the small external opening of a trachea (respiratory tube) or a book lung (breathing organ with thin folds of membrane resembling book leaves). Spiracles are usually found on certain thoracic and abdominal segments. In elasmobranch and ganoid fishes a pair of spiracles, derived from the gills, is used as a water passageway during respiration. The nasal opening of whales and other cetaceans is called a spiracle, as is the respiratory opening behind the eyes of rays and skates. In tadpoles the spiracle is the excurrent opening from the gill chamber

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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