Other forms: airways
The airway is the passage air travels down into the lungs. Clear the airway, an obstructed airway, secure the airway.
It is the first thing checked in any emergency, before breathing and circulation, because nothing else matters if it is blocked. Tilting the head back lifts the tongue off the back of the throat, which is the commonest blockage in an unconscious person.
1nounairwayThe passage air travels down into the lungs.
“A piece of food got stuck in his airway, and he began to choke.”
airway is a passage.
From air + way.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA