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throat

[throht] /θroʊt/
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noun, Anatomy, Zoology.
1.
the passage from the mouth to the stomach or to the lungs, including the pharynx, esophagus, larynx, and trachea.
2.
some analogous or similar narrowed part or passage.
3.
the front of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone.
4.
the narrow opening between a fireplace and its flue or smoke chamber, often closed by a damper.
5.
Nautical, Machinery. swallow1 (def 13).
6.
Nautical.
  1. Also called nock. the forward upper corner of a quadrilateral fore-and-aft sail.
  2. jaw1 (def 5).
7.
the forward edge of the opening in the vamp of a shoe.
8.
Automotive. barrel (def 14).
verb (used with object)
9.
to make a throat in; provide with a throat.
10.
to utter or express from or as from the throat; utter throatily.
Idioms
11.
cut one's own throat, to bring about one's own ruin:
He cut his own throat by being nasty to the boss.
12.
jump down someone's throat, Informal. to disagree with, criticize, or scold overhastily:
Wait and let me finish before you jump down my throat.
13.
lump in one's throat, a tight or uncomfortable feeling in the throat, as a reaction to an emotion:
The sight of the infant brought a lump to her throat.
14.
ram / force something down someone's throat, Informal. to force someone to agree to or accept (something).
15.
stick in one's throat, to be difficult of expression; cause to hesitate:
The words of sympathy stuck in her throat.
Origin of throat
Middle English
Old English
900
before 900; Middle English throte, Old English throte, throta, throtu; akin to Old High German drozza throat, Old Norse throti swelling. See throttle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2016.
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Examples from the Web for throat
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • "He had a gun shoved into the hollow of his throat," said Andy.

    Way of the Lawless Max Brand

  • Several times a lump rose in her throat and she was obliged to stop to rest.

    Sara Crewe Frances Hodgson Burnett

  • I am not going to cut my own throat for the sake of mending any man's little finger.

    Orley Farm Anthony Trollope

  • As he went down he released his grasp on my throat in his effort to save himself.

    Up the River Oliver Optic

  • The words jammed in his throat as he was about to voice a reply.

    The White Feather Hex Don Peterson
British Dictionary definitions for throat

throat

/θrəʊt/
noun
1.
  1. that part of the alimentary and respiratory tracts extending from the back of the mouth (nasopharynx) to just below the larynx
  2. the front part of the neck
2.
something resembling a throat, esp in shape or function: the throat of a chimney
3.
(botany) the gaping part of a tubular corolla or perianth
4.
(informal) a sore throat
5.
cut one's throat, cut one's own throat, to bring about one's own ruin
6.
have by the throat, to have compete control over (a person or thing)
7.
jump down someone's throat, See jump (sense 24)
8.
ram something down someone's throat, force something down someone's throat, to insist that someone listen to or accept (something): he rammed his own opinions down my throat
9.
(informal) stick in one's throat, stick in one's craw, to be difficult, or against one's conscience, for one to accept, utter, or believe
related
adjectives gular guttural jugular laryngeal
Word Origin
Old English throtu; related to Old High German drozza throat, Old Norse throti swelling
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for throat
n.

Old English þrote (implied in þrotbolla "the Adam's apple, larynx," literally "throat boll"), related to þrutian "to swell," from Proto-Germanic *thrut- (cf. Old High German drozza, German Drossel, Old Saxon strota, Middle Dutch strote, Dutch strot "throat"), perhaps from PIE *trud- (cf. Old English þrutian "to swell," Old Norse þrutna "to swell").

The notion is of "the swollen part" of the neck. Italian strozza "throat," strozzare "to strangle" are Germanic loan-words. College slang for "competitive student" is 1970s, from cutthroat.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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throat in Medicine

throat (thrōt)
n.

  1. The portion of the digestive tract that lies between the rear of the mouth and the esophagus and includes the fauces and the pharynx.

  2. The anterior portion of the neck.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang definitions & phrases for throat

throat

noun

A very intense and competitive student, esp a premedical student: throat, a person who is over-competitive about grades

Related Terms

cut one's own throat, jump down someone's throat

[1970s+ College students; fr cutthroat]

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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Idioms and Phrases with throat

throat

see:
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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