Definition

Adjective: Relating to or involving the act of exhaling, which is the phase of breathing where air is expelled from the lungs.

Usage

The word "expiratory" is a technical term used primarily in medical, physiological, and anatomical contexts to describe muscles, phases, forces, or sounds associated with exhalation. It is the adjectival form of the noun "expiration."

Examples

• The expiratory muscles, such as the internal intercostals, contract to help force air out of the lungs.
• The doctor listened for any abnormal expiratory wheezes during the patient's breathing.
• In a forced expiratory maneuver, the person breathes out as hard and fast as they can.
• The expiratory phase of respiration is typically longer than the inspiratory phase during quiet breathing.

Advanced Usage

• Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV): A specific term in respiratory physiology referring to the additional amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled after the end of a normal, quiet exhalation.
• Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1): A critical measurement in pulmonary function tests, indicating the volume of air a person can forcefully exhale in one second.

Variants and Related Words

• Expire (verb): To breathe out; to exhale. (Note: A more common meaning is "to come to an end" or "to die.")
• Expiration (noun): The act or process of breathing out; exhalation.
• Inspiratory (adjective): The opposite of "expiratory"; relating to inhalation.

Synonyms

• Exhalatory (less common)

Antonyms

• Inspiratory

Adjective

1. of or relating to the breathing out phase of respiration