hypopharynx

noun
hy·​po·​phar·​ynx | \ ˌhī-pō-ˈfer-iŋ(k)s How to pronounce hypopharynx (audio) \

Definition of hypopharynx

1 : an appendage or thickened fold on the floor of the mouth of many insects that resembles a tongue
2 : the laryngeal part of the pharynx extending from the hyoid bone to the lower margin of the cricoid cartilage

First Known Use of hypopharynx

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for hypopharynx

borrowed from French, from hypo- hypo- + pharynx pharynx

Note: The term was introduced by the French zoologist Jules-César Savigny (1777-1851) in Mémoires sur les animaux sans vertèbres, 1. partie, 1. fascicule (Paris, 1816), "Théorie des organes de la bouche des animaux invertébrés et articulés," pp. 12-13.

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More Definitions for hypopharynx

hypopharynx

noun
hy·​po·​phar·​ynx | \ -ˈfar-iŋ(k)s How to pronounce hypopharynx (audio) \
plural hypopharynges\ -​fə-​ˈrin-​(ˌ)jēz How to pronounce hypopharynges (audio) \ also hypopharynxes

Medical Definition of hypopharynx

: the laryngeal part of the pharynx extending from the hyoid bone to the lower margin of the cricoid cartilage