pharyngeal

American  

[fuh-rin-jee-uhl, -juhl, far-in-jee-uhl] / fəˈrɪn dʒi əl, -dʒəl, ˌfær ɪnˈdʒi əl /

Also pharyngal

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated near the pharynx.

2. Phonetics. articulated with retraction of the root of the tongue and constriction of the pharynx.

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noun

1. Phonetics. a pharyngeal speech sound.

pharyngeal British  

/ ˌfærɪnˈdʒiːəl, fəˈrɪŋɡəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated in or near the pharynx

2. phonetics pronounced or supplemented in pronunciation with an articulation in or constriction of the pharynx

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noun

1. phonetics a pharyngeal speech sound

Other Word Forms

• postpharyngal adjective
• postpharyngeal adjective
• subpharyngal adjective
• subpharyngeal adjective
• subpharyngeally adverb

Etymology

Origin of pharyngeal

1820–30; < New Latin pharynge ( us ) pharyngeal ( pharyng-, -eous ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

When a human being or another mammal snores, it's because air is flowing past the soft tissues in the pharyngeal airway, such as the tongue, soft palette and throat muscles.

From Salon • Jan. 11, 2024

They have a motor that generates positive pressure that’s transmitted via a tube and a mask into the pharyngeal space.

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2023

Mesenteries do not divide the gastrovascular cavity completely, and the smaller cavities coalesce at the pharyngeal opening.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Some invertebrate chordates use the pharyngeal slits to filter food out of the water that enters the mouth.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

In vertebrates the latter is generally accompanied by haemoglobin, but in invertebrates—with the exception of the pharyngeal muscles of the mollusca—it occurs alone.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various