|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
expiration
expiration (exhalation) The process by which gas is expelled from the lungs (see respiratory movement). In mammals, the volume of the thoracic cavity is reduced by contraction of the internal intercostal muscles and relaxation of the muscles of the diaphragm, assisted by upward pressure of the abdominal organs. As a result, pressure in the lungs exceeds atmospheric pressure and gas flows out of the lungs, allowing the pressures to equalize. Compare inspiration.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"expiration." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "expiration." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-expiration.html "expiration." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-expiration.html |
|
expiration
ex·pi·ra·tion / ˌekspəˈrāshən/ • n. 1. the ending of the fixed period for which a contract is valid: the expiration of the lease. ∎ the end of a period of time: the expiration of three years. 2. technical exhalation of breath. |
|
|
Cite this article
"expiration." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "expiration." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-expiration.html "expiration." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-expiration.html |
|
expiration
expiration (eks-per-ay-shŏn) n.
1. the act of breathing out air from the lungs: exhalation. 2. dying. |
|
|
Cite this article
"expiration." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "expiration." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-expiration.html "expiration." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-expiration.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
