sinuses
air-filled spaces in the skull the open to the nasal cavity
nose
structure that warms, moistens and filters air as it enters the upper respiratory tract
palate
roof of the mouth; partition between the nasal cavity and the mouth
hard palate
bony anterior portion of the palate
soft palate
muscular posterior portion of the palate
pharynx
throat
nasopharynx
part of the pharynx directly behind the nasal passages
oropharynx
area of the pharynx between the roof of the mouth and the epiglottis
laryngopharynx
lower part of the pharynx, just below the oropharyngeal opening into the larynx and esophagus
tonsils
oval lymphatic tissue on either side of the pharynx, that filter air; aka palatine tonsils
adenoid
lymphatic tissue on the back of the pharynx; aka pharyngeal tonsil
uvula
small projection hanging from the back middle edge of the soft palate
larynx
voice box; contains vocal cords
glottis
opening between the vocal cords
epiglottis
a lid-like structure that covers the larynx during swallowing
trachea
windpipe
bronchial tree
branched airways that lead from the trachea to the alveolar sacs
right & left bronchus
two primary airways branching from the area of the carina to the lungs
bronchioles
progressively smaller branching airways
alveoli
microscopic air sacs that perform gas exchange
lungs
two spongy organs in the thoracic cavity enclosed by the diaphragm and the rib cage; responsible for respiration
lobes
subdivisions of the lungs; two on the left, three on the right
pleura
membranes enclosing the lung and the lining of the thoracic cavity
pleural cavity
the fluid-filled potential space between the visceral pleura and parietal pleura
diaphargm
muscular partition that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity and moves up and down to aid respiration
mediastinum
partition that separates the thorax into two compartments and encloses the heart, esophagus, trachea and thymus gland
mucous membranes
thin sheets of tissue that line the respiratory passages and secrete mucus
cilia
hair-like processes from the surface of epithelial cells that move mucus secretions upward
parenchyma
functional tissues of any organ