Bronchodilating

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relaxing and opening the muscles of the bronchial tubes so that more air can flow into the lungs
2. Causing the airways leading to the lungs to widen, making breathing easier for a patient
3. Expanding the bronchi of the lungs, typically through the action of a medicine or drug

Etymology: "Bronchodilating" is built from "broncho-", a combining form from Greek "bronkhos", meaning windpipe, and "dilate", from Latin "dilatare", meaning to spread out or enlarge. The "bronchi" are the branching airways that carry air from the windpipe into the lungs, so the word describes something that widens those passages. The "-ing" ending simply turns the verb into a word that can modify a noun, as in a bronchodilating drug or a bronchodilating effect. The core idea is a physical one: making a tube wider. Medicine has used the same combination for other organs, which is why the prefix "broncho-" appears in several specialist terms built on the same pattern.