What are the branching air passageways inside the lungs referred to as?

The branching air passageways inside the lungs are referred to as bronchi. The bronchi are the two main passageways that branch off from the trachea and enter each lung, further dividing into smaller bronchi and eventually into bronchioles. This branching structure is crucial for the distribution of air throughout the lungs, allowing efficient gas exchange to occur in the alveoli, which are tiny air sacs at the ends of the bronchioles where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.

In contrast, the trachea is the tube that connects the throat to the bronchi, serving as the initial passage for air to enter the lungs, but it is not itself a branching structure within the lungs. Alveoli are not passageways but rather the endpoints of the respiratory system where gas exchange takes place. Bronchioles are smaller branches that stem from the bronchi, leading to the alveoli, but the primary term for the initial larger passages in the lungs is bronchi. Thus, the correct identification of the branching air passageways is the bronchi.