nasopharynx

American  

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

noun

Anatomy.

• nasopharynges,
  plural
• nasopharynxes
  plural

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

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nasopharynx British  

/ -ˌfærɪnˈdʒɪəl, ˌneɪzəʊˈfærɪŋks, ˌneɪzəʊfəˈrɪndʒɪəl /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nasopharyngeal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nasopharynges
  plural
• nasopharynxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nasopharynx

First recorded in 1875–80; naso- + pharynx

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nasopharynx

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

“I’ve been here like 30 times,” Russell Isabella said after a health technician shoved a swab into his nasopharynx, his boats—the Hear No Evil and the Temptress—bobbing behind him off the edge of the pier.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 8, 2021

Impulses are then sent back to the uvula and soft palate, causing them to move upward and close off the nasopharynx.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Macrophages are found in the skin and in the lining of mucosal surfaces, such as the nasopharynx, stomach, lungs, and intestines.

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 Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle