esophagus
noun
esoph·a·gus
| \ i-ˈsä-fə-gəs
\
\
plural esophagi\ i-ˈsä-fə-ˌgī
, -ˌjī \
, -ˌjī \
Definition of esophagus
: a muscular tube that conveys food from the mouth to the stomach and that in humans is about nine inches (23 centimeters) long and passes from the pharynx down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column and behind the left bronchus where it pierces the diaphragm slightly to the left of the middle line and joins the cardiac end of the stomach
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Other Words from esophagus
esophageal
\ i-ˌsä-fə-ˈjē-əl
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of esophagus in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Skin runs inside through the mouth, esophagus and then transitions to the special GI lining all the way through the gastrointestinal tract and back to the surface—interacting with the environment the whole way along. — Scientific American, "Researchers Optimistic About Breaking Stride Of The Atopic March," 26 Aug. 2019 Acid reflux means that the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus is weak enough to allow stomach contents to reverse course, causing symptoms like heartburn, according to the Mayo Clinic. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Is Sparkling Water Bad for You in Some Way?," 5 Apr. 2019 Heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus (the tube connecting your throat and stomach), the ACG said. — Serena Gordon, chicagotribune.com, "Heartburn drugs might bring allergy woes," 5 Aug. 2019 The first two bullets missed; the third punctured Warhol’s esophagus, stomach, spleen, liver, and lungs. — Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, "“Valerie” Is an Extraordinary Love Letter to a Radical Feminist," 1 Aug. 2019 My husband recently had an endoscopy that revealed an anomalous patch of stomach tissue on the wall of his esophagus which had been exacerbating his acid reflux. — Bobby Finger, New York Times, "Is Cold Brew Better Than Iced Coffee?," 2 July 2019 These include cancers of the throat, esophagus, mouth, voice box (larynx), colon and rectum, liver, and breast. — Maggie O'neill, Health.com, "Casual Alcohol Use Has Been Linked to Several Major Cancers—So Where's the Campaign?," 27 June 2019 Affected snakes possess two brains with distinct personalities, though one head typically dominates the other, which might lack a trachea, esophagus, or even eyes. — Laura Mallonee, WIRED, "The Life and Viral Fame of Virginia's Two-Headed Snake," 13 June 2019 But Grinnemo says that this method will never produce a working organ because unlike the biological matrix that makes up a real esophagus, synthetic material cannot send the right signals to cells to form a functional unit. — Matt Warren, Science | AAAS, "Disgraced surgeon is still publishing on stem cell therapies," 27 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'esophagus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for esophagus
esophagus
noun
English Language Learners Definition of esophagus
medical
: the tube that leads from the mouth through the throat to the stomach
See the full definition for esophagus in the English Language Learners Dictionary
esophagus
noun
esoph·a·gus
| \ i-ˈsä-fə-gəs
\
\
plural esophagi\ -ˌgī , -ˌjī \
Kids Definition of esophagus
: a muscular tube that leads from the mouth through the throat to the stomach
esophagus
noun
esoph·a·gus
variants:
or chiefly British oesophagus \ i-ˈsäf-ə-gəs
\
\
plural esophagi\ -ˌgī
, -ˌjī
\
, -ˌjī
\
Medical Definition of esophagus
: a muscular tube that in adult humans is about nine inches (23 centimeters) long and passes from the pharynx down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column and behind the left bronchus where it pierces the diaphragm slightly to the left of the middle line and joins the cardiac end of the stomach
Keep scrolling for more