lung

CEFRC1

/ˈlʌŋ/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    One of the two organs used for breathing.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Capacity for exercise or exertion; breath.

Examples

  • Is there a link between smoking and lung cancer?

  • Smokers are far more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers are.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. That which supplies oxygen or fresh air, such as trees, parklands, forest, etc., to a place.

  2. A biological organ of vertebrates that controls breathing and oxygenates the blood.

More examples

In context

  • Her father died of lung cancer.

  • He no longer has the lungs to play long rallies like he used to.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The X-ray showed a small spot on my left blank, which is a vital respiratory organ.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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 Superseded non-native Middle English pomoun (“lung”), borrowed from Old French poumon, pomon (“lung”).