bronchitis

noun

bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkī-təs How to pronounce bronchitis (audio)
bräŋ-
: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes
also : a disease marked by this
bronchitic adjective

Did you know?

The bronchial tubes carry air into the tiny branches and smaller cells of the lungs. In bronchitis, the tubes become sore and you develop a deep cough. Bronchitis caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, but there's no drug treatment for the more common kind caused by a virus. A bout of bronchitis may involve a couple of weeks of coughing (with no laughing allowed), weakness, and loss of energy and interest in doing things. Apart from that, bronchitis is rarely serious—at least if it doesn't progress to pneumonia.

Examples of bronchitis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Francis, who lost part of a lung in his youth due to a severe infection, was admitted to Gemelli after a bout of bronchitis escalated into complex pneumonia affecting both lungs. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025 The pontiff was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened. Landon Mion, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2025 He was hospitalized on Feb. 14 following a bout of bronchitis. Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 3 Mar. 2025 Francis has been hospitalized at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic since Feb. 14, when he was admitted for a bout of bronchitis. Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bronchitis

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin bronchium "branch of a bronchus, bronchial tube" + -itis — more at bronchial

Note: The term bronchitis was apparently introduced into English by the British physician Charles Badham (1780-1845) in Observations on the Inflammatory Affections of the Mucous Membrane of the Bronchiæ (London: Callow, 1808), though the word had been used earlier (as a Latinate synonym of Luftröhrenästentzündung) by the German physician Johann Christian Stark (1753-1811) in Handbuch zur Kenntnis und Heilung innerer Krankheiten des menschlichen Körpers (Jena, 1799), pp. 144, 167.

First Known Use

1808, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bronchitis was in 1808

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Cite this Entry

“Bronchitis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bronchitis. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

bronchitis

noun
bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkīt-əs How to pronounce bronchitis (audio)
bräŋ-
: inflammation of the bronchial tubes or a disease marked by this

Medical Definition

bronchitis

noun
bron·​chi·​tis brän-ˈkīt-əs, bräŋ- How to pronounce bronchitis (audio)
: acute or chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes
also : a disease marked by this
bronchitic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bronchitis

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