Word
respiratory
Phoneticsres·pi·ra·to·ry
US/ˈɹɛspɝəˌtɔɹi/
UK/ɹɪspˈɪɹətəɹˌi/
Definition
adj. relating to breathing or the organs in your body that help you breathe. You use this word when talking about your lungs and how you take in air.
adj. relating to or affecting the organs and processes involved in breathing. Frequently used in medical contexts to describe diseases, systems, or physiological functions.
Examples
“Smoking can cause serious respiratory problems.”
“The doctor checked his respiratory rate to see how well his lungs were functioning after the exercise.”
“Chronic exposure to industrial pollutants can lead to severe respiratory distress, as the delicate tissues of the lungs become inflamed and less efficient at oxygen exchange.”
Examples
simple
“Smoking can cause serious respiratory problems.”
contextual
“The doctor checked his respiratory rate to see how well his lungs were functioning after the exercise.”
complex
“Chronic exposure to industrial pollutants can lead to severe respiratory distress, as the delicate tissues of the lungs become inflamed and less efficient at oxygen exchange.”
Usage
Typically used as an attributive adjective, appearing before the noun it modifies.
Real-World Examples
Common in science and health writing
“Park management used poison to kill the carnivores, often strychnine , an alkaloid that causes convulsions , respiratory failure and extreme pain.” “Vehicle emissions can cause lung damage and worsen respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis , and have been linked to heart disease, cancer and premature death.” Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin respīrātōrius, equal to respire + -atory.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/respiratory