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glottis

[glot-is]
noun, plural glot·tis·es, glot·ti·des [glot-i-deez] /ˈglɒt ɪˌdiz/. Anatomy.
  1. the opening at the upper part of the larynx, between the vocal cords.
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Origin of glottis

1570–80; < New Latin < Greek (Attic) glōttís, derivative of glôtta tongue (Ionic glôssa; see gloss2)
Related formsglot·tid·e·an [glo-tid-ee-uh n, glaw-] /glɒˈtɪd i ən, glɔ-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for glottis

Historical Examples

  • How did this critic know that the singer had pinched her glottis?

    The Psychology of Singing

    David C. Taylor

  • I had no time to reflect upon “compressions of the tongue” or “spasms of the glottis.”

    The War Trail

    Mayne Reid

  • There may be œdema of the glottis, especially if ammonia has been taken.

  • The rest of the action of the glottis is, however, entirely the same.

  • Note the U-shaped hyoid bone surrounding the front of the glottis.

British Dictionary definitions for glottis

glottis

noun plural -tises or -tides (-tɪˌdiːz)
  1. the vocal apparatus of the larynx, consisting of the two true vocal cords and the opening between them
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Derived Formsglottidean (ɡlɒˈtɪdɪən), adjective

Word Origin

C16: from New Latin, from Greek glōttis, from glōtta, Attic form of Ionic glōssa tongue; see gloss ²
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 glottis

n.

1570s, from Greek glottis "mouth of the windpipe," from glotta, Attic dialect variant of glossa "tongue" (see gloss (n.2)).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
glottis in Medicine

glottis

(glŏt′ĭs)
n. pl. glot•tis•es
  1. The vocal apparatus of the larynx, consisting of the true vocal cords and the rima glottidis.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
glottis in Science

glottis

[glŏt′ĭs]
Plural glottises glottides (glŏt′ĭ-dēz′)
  1. The part of the larynx that contains the vocal cords and the space between them.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.