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DictionaryRoot: asthma
Greek

asthma

shortness of breath, panting

1 / 1
An older man struggling to breathe uses a rescue inhaler; a small, text-free anatomical cutaway beside him shows an inflamed bronchial airway with a markedly narrowed central opening.
noun

asthma

AZ-muh/ˈæzmə/

A chronic condition in which airways narrow, causing breathing difficulty and wheezing.

Etymology
asthmaGreekshortness of breath, panting

Greek asthma named shortness of breath or panting. The medical term names the disorder through its characteristic experience of labored breathing and tightness in the chest.

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