HealthAugust 13, 2026

pulmonary

PUL-muh-ner-ee

Definition

Relating to or affecting the lungs.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'pulmonarius', which comes from 'pulmo' meaning 'lung'. It entered English in the late 17th century to describe anatomy and medicine associated with the respiratory system.

In the news

The term is used to describe the specialty of keynote speaker John Huston, who is a pulmonary and critical care physician. It highlights his medical expertise in treating lung-related conditions.

Med Schools Welcome Class of 2030 With White Coat Ceremonies

Read the full article ↗

Medscape

Related words

adipocytes

Specialized animal cells that function primarily to store energy in the form of fat.

Health

adipose

Relating to or consisting of animal fat, specifically referring to the body tissues where…

Health

amacrine

A type of inhibitory interneuron in the retina that helps process visual information by…

Health

cardiopulmonary

Relating to the heart and the lungs, often used in the context of resuscitation…

Health

cysteine

A sulfur-containing amino acid that is a fundamental building block of proteins and is…

Health

cytoprotective

Serving to protect cells from harmful agents, stress, or damage.

Health

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.