hyoid

American  

[hahy-oid] / ˈhaɪ ɔɪd /

adjective

1. Also hyoidal hyoidean noting or pertaining to a U -shaped bone at the root of the tongue in humans, or a corresponding bone or collection of bones in animals.

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noun

1. the hyoid bone.

hyoid British  

/ ˈhaɪɔɪd /

adjective

1. of or relating to the hyoid bone

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noun

1. the horseshoe-shaped bone that lies at the base of the tongue and above the thyroid cartilage

2. a corresponding bone or group of bones in other vertebrates

Other Word Forms

• posthyoid adjective
• subhyoid adjective
• subhyoidean adjective

Etymology

Origin of hyoid

1700–10; < New Latin hȳoïdes < Greek hȳoeidḗs, shaped like the letter hypsilon (i.e. upsilon), equivalent to hȳ- (derivative of letter name hŷ, variant of ŷ; upsilon ) + -oeidēs -oid

Example Sentences

"To show that hyoid microstructure would work to test maturity status in Nanotyrannus, we first had to compile strong support for this method across many groups of living reptiles and extinct dinosaurs," said Dr. Griffin.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025

Because no one had previously proven that hyoid bones could reliably preserve growth information, the researchers needed to verify the method before applying it to Nanotyrannus.

From Science Daily • Dec. 9, 2025

In fish the branchial arches form the jaws, the hyoid bone that supports the back of the jaw, and the skeleton that forms the throat and gill slits.

From Science Magazine • May 24, 2023

When fish feed, muscles supporting these structures generate suction by depressing and retracting the hyoid and expanding the gill slits to draw water in.

From Science Magazine • May 24, 2023

The anterior cornua are slender, cartilaginous, and curve anteromedially from the hyoid plate and thence laterally and posteriorly, to attach to the posterior surface of the pro�tics.

From Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca by Duellman, William E.