nasopharynx

American  

[ney-zoh-far-ingks] / ˌneɪ zoʊˈfær ɪŋks /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

nasopharynges, nasopharynxes

1. the part of the pharynx behind and above the soft palate, directly continuous with the nasal passages.

---

nasopharynx British  

/ -ˌfærɪnˈdʒɪəl, ˌneɪzəʊˈfærɪŋks, ˌneɪzəʊfəˈrɪndʒɪəl /

noun

1. the part of the pharynx situated above and behind the soft palate

---

Other Word Forms

• nasopharyngeal adjective

Etymology

Origin of nasopharynx

First recorded in 1875–80; naso- + pharynx

Example Sentences

Bush, the EPA finally deemed formaldehyde a probable human carcinogen and calculated the likelihood of it causing an extremely rare cancer that affects a part of the throat called the nasopharynx.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

Both the uvula and soft palate move like a pendulum during swallowing, swinging upward to close off the nasopharynx to prevent ingested materials from entering the nasal cavity.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The nasopharynx is flanked by the conchae of the nasal cavity, and it serves only as an airway.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

A pharyngeal tonsil, also called an adenoid, is an aggregate of lymphoid reticular tissue similar to a lymph node that lies at the superior portion of the nasopharynx.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Jurist records such abnormal mobility of the tongue that the patient was able to project the tongue into the nasopharynx.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)