ventilator

[ ven-tl-ey-ter ]

noun

1. a person or thing that ventilates.
2. a contrivance or opening for replacing foul or stagnant air with fresh air.
3. Medicine/Medical. an apparatus to produce artificial respiration, moving air into and out of a patient’s lungs:

   The patient presented with signs of respiratory failure and was placed immediately on a ventilator.

ventilator

/ ˈvɛntɪˌleɪtə /

noun

1. an opening or device, such as a fan, used to ventilate a room, building, etc
2. med a machine that maintains a flow of air into and out of the lungs of a patient who is unable to breathe normally

Word History and Origins

Origin of ventilator¹

First recorded in 1735–45; ventilat(e) + -or ²

Example Sentences

"I've never heard his voice because you need air to pass through the voice box but the hole in his neck for the ventilator is below that," Teena said.

From BBC

He ended up on a feeding tube and a ventilator after he contracted covid in 2020 while taking other essential workers from this predominantly Black area to jobs in a whiter, wealthier tourist town.

From Salon

Shortly before her arrival, he had three newborn infants who required ventilators, but only two devices.

From Salon

In Covid they were looking after four, five or even six – often all on a ventilator.

From BBC

Excluding newborns hospitalized at birth, about 1 in 5 infants hospitalized with covid required intensive care, and nearly 1 in 20 required a ventilator.

From Salon

Related Words

• fireplace
• flue
• furnace
• hearth
• pipe
• stack
• vent