Definition (NCI_NCI-GLOSS) A type of lung disease marked by permanent damage to tissues in the lungs, making it hard to breathe. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease includes chronic bronchitis, in which the bronchi (large air passages) are inflamed and scarred, and emphysema, in which the alveoli (tiny air sacs) are damaged.
Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition: 1  affluent(noun) an affluent person; a person who is financially well off. the so-called emerging affluents. 2  feeder, tributary, confluent, affluent(adj) a branch that flows into the main stream.
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisharistocracyarâ§isâ§tocâ§raâ§cy /ËÃ¦rÉËstÉkrÉsi $ -ËstÉË-/ noun (plural aristocracies) [countable usually singular]HIGH POSITION OR RANK the people in the highest social class, who traditionally have a lot of land, money, and power dukes, earls, and other members of the aristocracy the landed aristocracy (= ...