noun
the system for taking in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide; in terrestrial animals this is accomplished by breathing
• Syn: ↑systema respiratorium
• Hypernyms: ↑system
• Part Holonyms: ↑body, ↑organic structure, ↑physical structure
• Part Meronyms: ↑respiratory tract, ↑airway, ↑respiratory organ, ↑trachea
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noun : a system of organs subserving the function of respiration and in air-breathing vertebrates consisting typically of the lungs and their nervous and circulatory supply, the channels by which these are continuous with the outer air, various supportive and protective structures, and usually the muscles and skeletal structures concerned with emptying and filling the lungs
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Anat.
the system by which oxygen is taken into the body and an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place; in mammals the system includes the nasal passages, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.
[1935-40]
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respiratory system,
the system of organs and passages by which air is taken into the body and carbon dioxide and oxygen are exchanged. In the human body the respiratory system includes the nasal cavities, pharynx, larynx, trachea, and the lungs.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.