spiracle (redirected from spiraculum)

spir·a·cle  (spr-kl, spr-)

n.

1. Zoology A respiratory aperture, especially:

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

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

c. The blowhole of a cetacean.

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

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[Middle English, from Latin sprculum, from sprre, to breathe.]

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spi·racu·lar (sp-rky-lr, sp-) adj.

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spiracle [ˈspaɪərək^əl ˈspaɪrə-]

n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) any of several paired apertures in the cuticle of an insect, by which air enters and leaves the trachea

2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) a small paired rudimentary gill slit just behind the head in skates, rays, and related fishes

3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) any similar respiratory aperture, such as the blowhole in whales

4. (Earth Sciences / Geological Science) Geology a protrusion of sediment into a lava flow, formed by the explosive transition of water into steam

[C14 (originally: breath): from Latin spīrāculum vent, from spīrāre to breathe]

spiracular  [spɪˈrækjʊlə] adj

spiraculate  adj

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spiracle  (spr-kl, spr-)

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.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

spiracle - a breathing orifice                   orifice, porta, opening - an aperture or hole that opens into a bodily cavity; "the orifice into the aorta from the lower left chamber of the heart" blowhole - the spiracle of a cetacean located far back on the skull stigma - an external tracheal aperture in a terrestrial arthropod

Translations

spiracle [ˈspɪrəkl] N → espiráculo m

spiracle

n (of shark, ray etc) → Atemloch nt; (of insect also) → Stigma nt (spec); (of whale, dolphin) → Spritzloch nt