English Explanatory Dictionary

lung

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A biological organ of vertebrates that controls breathing and oxygenates the blood.
  2. Capacity for exercise or exertion; breath.
  3. That which supplies oxygen or fresh air, such as trees, parklands, forest, etc., to a place.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

lŭng /ˈlʌŋ/ En-us-lung.ogg /lʊŋ/ /lʊŋɡ/

Word forms

lung lungs

Etymology

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, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk 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 Superseded non-native Middle English pomoun (“lung”), borrowed from Old French poumon, pomon (“lung”).

Synonyms

bellows lights

Related words

pneumonic pulmonary

Derived words

aqualung bagpipe lung biolung bird breeder's lung bird fancier's lung black lung book lung brown lung diffuse parenchymal lung disease farmer's lung flock worker's lung glitter lung green lung heart-lung machine honeycomb lung interstitial lung disease iron lung Labrador lung leather-lunged lung buster lung-busting lung butter lung cancer lung capacity lung dart lung-digit syndrome lungectomy lunged lungedness lunger lung fever lung fields lungfish lung flower lungful lung-grown lungless lunglessness lung lichen lunglike lung power lung sac lung sick lungsickness lung toilet lung volume lungworm lungwort mahogany lung midlung miller's lung miner's lung nonlung pigeon fancier's lung popcorn lung smoker's lung wet lung syndrome whole lung lavage woodworker's lung wouldn't work in an iron lung
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