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# spiracle

noun (a spiracle, spiracles)

«spiracle» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A spiracle is a tiny breathing hole in the side of an insect's or spider's body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#m1)
2. In some fish, like sharks and rays, and in whales, a spiracle is a breathing opening on the head (a whale's blowhole is sometimes called this). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#m2)

### In the lessons

Science: insects do not have lungs; air goes in through spiracles along their body into tiny tubes called tracheae, which carry oxygen to the cells. Caterpillars have a row of spiracles you can see on their sides. Rays use spiracles behind their eyes to take in water while lying on the sea floor.

### Examples

- Insects breathe through spiracles. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#x1)
- We saw the spiracles on the caterpillar's side with a magnifying glass. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#x2)
- Air enters through the spiracles and travels down tubes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#x3)
- A stingray has spiracles behind its eyes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#x4)
- Spiracles can close to keep water out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#x5)
- Insects have no lungs, only spiracles and air tubes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/#x6)

### Note

Said «SPY-ruh-kul» or «SPEER-uh-kul». Countable, usually plural. From Latin for «breath». Trap: insects do not breathe through their mouths.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «spiracle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiracle/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«spiracle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/spiracle.html) on Mova free.