SPIRACLE


Meaning of SPIRACLE in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈspir-i-kəl, ˈspī-ri- ]

noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Latin spiraculum, from spirare to breathe

Date: 15th century

1. : a breathing hole : vent

2. : a breathing orifice: as

a. : blowhole 2

b. : an external tracheal aperture of a terrestrial arthropod that in an insect is usually one of a series of small apertures located along each side of the thorax and abdomen — see insect illustration

• spi·rac·u·lar spə-ˈra-kyə-lər, spī- adjective

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.