bronch(o)-

The bronchi.

Greek bronkho‑, from bronkhos, windpipe.

The bronchi (singular bronchus) are the major air passages of the lungs which split off from the windpipe. Bronchitis is inflammation of the mucous membrane in the bronchial tubes; it typically causes coughing and bronchospasm, a spasm of bronchial smooth muscle, producing narrowing of the bronchi. A bronchodilator is a drug that causes widening of the bronchi, such as those taken to alleviate asthma; bronchiectasis is abnormal widening of the bronchi or their branches, causing a risk of infection; a bronchiole is one of the minute branches into which a bronchus divides.