windpipe
Meaning
the tube in the body that carries air from the throat to the lungs; the trachea.
Structure
Usage
food accidentally entering the windpipe can cause violent coughing.
the doctor explained how the vocal cords are located above the windpipe.
a severe blow to the neck can damage the windpipe and restrict breathing.
Etymology
The word "windpipe" is a transparent English compound, formed from two Old English elements. "wind" in its original sense referred broadly to moving air, including the breath, while "pipe" denoted any hollow, cylindrical vessel for conveying substances. The term was constructed on a straightforward metaphorical logic: the anatomical trachea is conceptualized as a pipe or tube that carries the "wind" (air/breath) from the throat to the lungs. This compound exemplifies the Germanic tendency in English to create descriptive, literal terms for bodily parts, contrasting with the more classical, often Greek or Latin-derived, medical terminology.
Analysis
wind (old english, meaning "air in motion, breath"); pipe (old english, from latin pipa, meaning "a tube, a conduit").