Lungs Were Named for Being Light Enough to Float
A lung is a breathing organ. Its name comes from an old word meaning light in weight.
A lung is the organ in which blood takes up oxygen and gives off carbon dioxide. The name comes from a root meaning light in weight, the same one behind *light* itself: lungs float in water while other organs sink, and butchers across Europe noticed. The Portuguese and Spanish word for lungs, *bofe*, and the English word *lights* for animal lungs both record the same observation. A pair of human lungs holds a surface area of roughly seventy square metres.
- A breathing organ. *The left lung.*
- Lights — animal lungs. *Lights.*
- Light — the same root. *Light.*
- Pulmonary — of the lungs. *Pulmonary.*
- Old English — *lungen*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lung | A lung. |
| Plural | lungs | Lungs. |
| Adjective | pulmonary | Pulmonary. |
| Related | lights | Lights. |
| Old English | lungen | A lung. |
- He filled his lungs.Breathing.
- Lungs float in water.Fact.
- Lights are animal lungs.Butchery.
Inside a human lung
- Around 300 million alveoli provide the exchange surface
- Total area is roughly seventy square metres
- That is comparable to a tennis court
- The right lung has three lobes, the left only two
- The left is smaller to make room for the heart
Old English *lungen*, of Germanic origin, from a root meaning light in weight.
Why are lungs named after lightness?
Because they float in water while other organs sink, an observation butchers across Europe made independently.
How large is the lung surface?
Roughly seventy square metres in total, spread across some 300 million tiny air sacs.