spiracle C2 Topic:Animals US /ˈspɪrəkəl/ UK /ˈspɪrəkəl/ See IPA manual Freq #386123 Meanings 1 noun zoology: an external respiratory opening in an insect or another air-breathing arthropod, connected to the tracheal system Air entered the grasshopper's tracheal system through each spiracle. 2 noun zoology: a small opening behind the eye of certain fishes through which water can enter the mouth and pass over the gills The ray drew water through its spiracle while resting on the seabed. 3 noun historical: the blowhole of a whale or another cetacean The older account called the whale's blowhole a spiracle. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · zoology: an external... stigmabreathing pore 2 noun · zoology: a small opening... respiratory opening 3 noun · historical: the blowhole of... blowhole Word family Forms spiracles Derived forms spiracular Related forms trachearespirationgillblowhole Etymology From Latin spiraculum, 'air hole or breathing place,' from spirare, 'to breathe.' Zoologists applied the term to several respiratory openings that are not anatomically identical. Topics Animals External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # spiracle **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈspɪrəkəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈspɪrəkəl/ **Frequency rank:** 386123 ## Meanings 1. zoology: an external respiratory opening in an insect or another air-breathing arthropod, connected to the tracheal system 2. zoology: a small opening behind the eye of certain fishes through which water can enter the mouth and pass over the gills 3. historical: the blowhole of a whale or another cetacean ## Examples - Air entered the grasshopper's tracheal system through each spiracle. - The ray drew water through its spiracle while resting on the seabed. - The older account called the whale's blowhole a spiracle. ## Synonyms - breathing pore - stigma - blowhole ## Derived Forms - spiracular ## Related Forms - trachea - respiration - gill - blowhole ## Etymology From Latin spiraculum, 'air hole or breathing place,' from spirare, 'to breathe.' Zoologists applied the term to several respiratory openings that are not anatomically identical. ## Topics - Animals markdown