pharynx

[ far-ingks ]

/ ˈfær ɪŋks /

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noun, plural pha·ryn·ges

[fuh-rin-jeez], /fəˈrɪn dʒiz/, phar·ynx·es.Anatomy.

the tube or cavity, with its surrounding membrane and muscles, that connects the mouth and nasal passages with the esophagus.

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Origin of pharynx

1685–95; <New Latin <Greek phárynx throat, akin to pháranx gulf, chasm

Words nearby pharynx

pharyngo-, pharyngology, pharyngoscope, pharyngoscopy, pharyngotomy, pharynx, phascogale, phase, phase angle, phase-contrast microscope, phased array

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pharynx in a sentence

The plug blocks the channel between a fin whale’s mouth and its pharynx, the entrance to the respiratory and digestive tracts.
A ‘trapdoor’ made of muscle and fat helps fin whales eat without choking|Sharon Oosthoek|January 20, 2022|Science News
When a whale gulps water, the pressure leads to the plug creating a tight seal over the whale’s pharynx.
A ‘trapdoor’ made of muscle and fat helps fin whales eat without choking|Sharon Oosthoek|January 20, 2022|Science News
A nurse carefully swabbed the back of his nose and pharynx for a sample of the virus that had brought him to the hospital.
Inside the Global Quest to Trace the Origins of COVID-19—and Predict Where It Will Go Next|Alice Park|July 23, 2020|Time
Vincent's angina is a chronic pseudomembranous and ulcerative inflammation of pharynx and tonsils.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

It subsequently loses its connection with the pharynx, and in adult life is a bilobed structure on either side of the windpipe.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
In hay fever, the itching and redness of the eyes, nose, and throat are controlled from a sensitive point in the naso-pharynx.
The Treatment of Hay Fever|George Frederick Laidlaw
The Right Spot, as related in the chapter on Ichthyol, is either the vault of the pharynx or the upper surface of the soft palate.
The Treatment of Hay Fever|George Frederick Laidlaw
In the higher grades, a mouth, pharynx, and sophagus precede the stomach.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for pharynx

pharynx

/ (ˈfærɪŋks) /

noun plural pharynges (fæˈrɪndʒiːz) or pharynxes

the part of the alimentary canal between the mouth and the oesophagusCompare nasopharynx Related adjective: pharyngeal

Word Origin for pharynx

C17: via New Latin from Greek pharunx throat; related to Greek pharanx chasm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for pharynx

pharynx

[ făr′ĭngks ]

Plural pharynges (fə-rĭn′jēz) pharynxes

The passage that leads from the cavities of the nose and mouth to the larynx (voice box) and esophagus. Air passes through the pharynx on the way to the lungs, and food enters the esophagus from the pharynx.

pharynx

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Origin of pharynx

Words nearby pharynx

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How to use pharynx in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pharynx

Word Origin for pharynx

Scientific definitions for pharynx