esophagus

American  

[ih-sof-uh-guhs, ee-sof-] / ɪˈsɒf ə gəs, iˈsɒf- /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

plural

esophagi

1. a muscular passage connecting the mouth or pharynx with the stomach in invertebrate and vertebrate animals; gullet.

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esophagus British  

/ iːˈsɒfəɡəs, iːˌsɒfəˈdʒiːəl /

noun

1. the US spelling of oesophagus

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esophagus Scientific  

/ ĭ-sŏf′ə-gəs /

plural

esophagi

1. The muscular tube in vertebrates through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach.

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esophagus Cultural  

1. The muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach and serves as a passageway for food. (See digestive system.)

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Other Word Forms

• esophageal adjective

Etymology

Origin of esophagus

1350–1400; < New Latin oesophagus < Greek oisophágos gullet, literally, channel for eating ( oiso-, akin to oísein, future infinitive of phérein to carry + -phagos eating); replacing Middle English ysophagus < Medieval Latin

Example Sentences

Or she operates the machine as the doctor guides a probe down the esophagus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026

Not long after, she went through more procedures: one to amputate her damaged limb and another to cut through her neck to retrieve a fishing hook that had migrated to tissue outside the esophagus.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

NRF2 overactivity plays a major role in chemotherapy resistance in several solid tumors, including cancers of the liver, esophagus and head and neck.

From Science Daily • Nov. 17, 2025

In 14-hour shifts, dairy workers pumped gallons of electrolyte-rich fluids into ailing cows through metal tubes inserted into the esophagus.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2024

He can feel the lymph nodes on either side of his neck compressing his esophagus and trachea.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• larynx