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

• 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

In humans the sense of smell is received in nasopharynx.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Similar to the nasal cavity and nasopharynx, this specialized epithelium produces mucus to trap debris and pathogens as they enter the trachea.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

As the nasopharynx becomes the oropharynx, the epithelium changes from pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium to stratified squamous epithelium.

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)