Bronchodilator

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of medication used to relax and widen the airways, aiding in improved airflow through the bronchial tubes, and thus relieving respiratory distress
2. An agent that helps expand the bronchial passages in the lungs, enhancing airflow and addressing difficulties in breathing effectively
3. A drug designed to relax muscles around the airways to improve breathing by expanding the bronchial tubes

Etymology: Bronchodilator is a modern medical compound, built from "broncho-", from Ancient Greek "brónkhos" (windpipe), and "dilator", a Latin-derived term meaning something that widens. The "-or" ending marks the agent noun: a thing that performs the action of dilating. Medicine needed a precise name for drugs that open the air passages, and the word combines a combining form of the bronchial tubes with the older English "dilator." The second half has a longer ancestry. "Dilate" came into Middle English from Latin "dilatare," meaning to spread out or enlarge, passing through Old French "dilater." The English noun "dilator," for an instrument or muscle that widens an opening, grew from the same Latin source, and "bronchodilator" adopted that pattern.

Synonyms: bronchial dilator