epiglottis

[ep-i-glot-is]

noun, plural ep·i·glot·tis·es, ep·i·glot·ti·des

[ep-i-glot-i-deez] /ˌɛp ɪˈglɒt ɪˌdiz/. Anatomy.

a thin, valvelike, cartilaginous structure that covers the glottis during swallowing, preventing the entrance of food and drink into the larynx.

Origin of epiglottis

1605–15; < Greek epiglōttís; see epi-, glottis

Related formsep·i·glot·tal, ep·i·glot·tic, ep·i·glot·tid·e·an

[ep-i-glo-tid-ee-uh n] /ˌɛp ɪ glɒˈtɪd i ən/, adjectivesub·ep·i·glot·tal, adjectivesub·ep·i·glot·tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epiglottis

Historical Examples of epiglottis

Mammy, the trouble is in your thorax, larynx and epiglottis.
The Girls of Central High on Track and Field
David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
They are more covered by the epiglottis than in the other case—that of a female (Fig. 41).
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking
Wesley Mills
The epiglottis may, also, naturally so overhang the glottis that a good view of the vocal cords is impossible.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking
Wesley Mills
The internal surface of the glottis and epiglottis was in a similar but less marked state as the larynx and trachea.
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826
Various
To the cartilages of the larynx must be further added the Epiglottis, with the little cartilage at the centre of its inner side.
The Voice in Singing
Emma Seiler

British Dictionary definitions for epiglottis

epiglottis

noun plural -tises or -tides (-tɪˌdiːz)

a thin cartilaginous flap that covers the entrance to the larynx during swallowing, preventing food from entering the trachea

Derived Formsepiglottal or epiglottic, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for epiglottis

1520s, from Late Latin epiglottis, from Greek epiglottis, literally "(that which is) upon the tongue," from epi "on" (see epi-) + glottis, from glotta, variant of glossa "tongue" (see gloss (n.2)). An earlier form was epiglote (c.1400), from Old French epiglotte. Related: Epiglottic.

epiglottis in Medicine

epiglottis

[ĕp′ĭ-glŏt′ĭs]

n. pl. ep•i•glot•tis•es

The thin elastic cartilaginous structure located at the root of the tongue that folds over the glottis to prevent food and liquid from entering the trachea during the act of swallowing.

Related formsep′i•glot′tic adj.

epiglottis in Science

epiglottis

[ĕp′ĭ-glŏt′ĭs]

A thin, triangular plate of cartilage at the base of the tongue that covers the glottis during swallowing to keep food from entering the trachea.