larynx
Americannoun
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Anatomy. a muscular and cartilaginous structure lined with mucous membrane at the upper part of the trachea in humans, in which the vocal cords are located.
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Zoology.
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a similar vocal organ in other mammals.
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a corresponding structure in certain lower animals.
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noun
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The upper part of the trachea in most vertebrate animals, containing the vocal cords. The walls of the larynx are made of cartilage. Sound is produced by air passing through the larynx on the way to the lungs, causing the walls of the larynx to vibrate. The pitch of the sound that is produced can be altered by the pull of muscles, which changes the tension of the vocal cords.
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Also called voice box
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of larynx
1570–80; < New Latin < Greek lárynx
Compare meaning
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Explanation
The larynx, or "voice box," is the cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea, or "windpipe," which is in your throat. The larynx contains the vocal cords. The Greek word laryngos means "the upper windpipe." The larynx does all sorts of important things besides housing the vocal cords (which are actually folds, not cords). The larynx is involved in breathing, and it also helps keep food from entering your windpipe when you swallow. All mammals have one — the wolf that howls, the lion that roars, and Tarzan, who makes that — whatever that sound is he makes.
Vocabulary lists containing larynx
Gross, Anatomy!
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Human Anatomy and Physiology - Introductory
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Human Anatomy and Physiology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His club anthems include Illogical, Larynx and Kreatine.
From BBC • May 6, 2019
Included in the upper respiratory tract are the Nostrils, Nasal Cavities, Pharynx, Epiglottis, and the Larynx.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015
I shall try your patience some rainy morning, Mr Larynx; and Mr Listless shall recommend us the very newest new book, that every body reads.
From Nightmare Abbey by Peacock, Thomas Love
One morning a delegation headed by the Reverend Doctor Larynx waited upon him.
From The Making of Bobby Burnit Being a Record of the Adventures of a Live American Young Man by Flagg, James Montgomery
He sought a Specialist, who said: "You have a swelling in the head: Your Larynx is a thought relaxed And you are greatly over-taxed."
From More Peers : Verses by B. T. B. (Basil Temple Blackwood)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
