Bronchoconstriction

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The constriction of airways caused by the contraction of bronchial smooth muscle impairs airflow into the lungs
2. This physiological process reduces the diameter of the bronchi and bronchioles, leading to decreased airflow
3. The narrowing of the air passages due to the tightening of bronchial muscles restricts airflow and can affect breathing efficiency

Etymology: The word is a modern medical compound, and its two halves come from quite different corners of the classical past. "Broncho-" traces back to Ancient Greek "brónkhos", meaning the windpipe, a term that passed into English as a combining form used in medicine. "Constriction" is older and more familiar: it descends from Latin "constrictio", built from "cōnstringere", "to draw tightly together", which combined "cōn-" (together) with "stringere" (to bind or draw tight). English took "constriction" from this Latin root, and it has long meant any tightening or narrowing. Joined together, the pieces describe exactly what happens in the body: the airway tubes of the lungs narrow as their muscles tighten. Because the word is a deliberate joining of two existing elements rather than an ancient coinage, it reflects the vocabulary of modern physiology, which assembled such compounds from Greek and Latin building blocks to name newly understood processes.

Synonyms: airway narrowing