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

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

Approximately 600 times a day, the esophagus ferries whatever is in your mouth down to your stomach.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024

The syndrome is caused by a quirk in the muscle that acts as the gatekeeper to the esophagus, the roughly 10-inch-long muscular tube that moves food between the throat and the stomach.

From Salon • Sep. 8, 2024

It washed back up my esophagus, but I swallowed hard, and there, yes, I did it.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Related Words

• larynx