lung
n. countablen. one of the two parts inside your chest that you use for breathing. They take in oxygen from the air and push out carbon dioxide.
n. either of the two primary organs of respiration in humans and many other vertebrates, situated within the thoracic cavity. Responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the bloodstream.
Smoking causes serious damage to your lungs.
The doctor listened to her lungs with a stethoscope to check for signs of infection.
The capacity of the human lung can be significantly increased through consistent aerobic exercise, which improves the efficiency of oxygen transport to the muscles.
From Middle English lunge, longe, from Old English lungen, from Proto-Germanic lunganjō, an enlargement of lungô (“the light organ, lung”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-, whence ultimately also light. Cognate with West Frisian long, Dutch long, German Lunge, Danish lunge, Norwegian lunge, Swedish lunga, Icelandic lunga, and also Russian лёгкое (ljóxkoje) (lung), Ancient Greek ἐλαφρός (elaphrós, “light in weight”) and perhaps Albanian lungë (“blister, bulge”). Compare Latin levis and Old English lēoht (Modern English light). See also lights (“lungs”). Superseded non-native Middle English pomoun (“lung”), borrowed from Old French poumon, pomon (“lung”).
Usually used in the plural when referring to the respiratory system as a whole.