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vocal cords

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plural noun Anatomy.
  1. either of the two pairs of folds of mucous membrane projecting into the cavity of the larynx.
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Compare true vocal cords, false vocal cords.

Origin of vocal cords

First recorded in 1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for vocal cords

vocal cords

pl n
  1. either of two pairs of mucomembranous folds in the larynx. The upper pair (false vocal cords) are not concerned with vocal production; the lower pair (true vocal cords or vocal folds) can be made to vibrate and produce sound when air from the lungs is forced over themSee also glottis Related adjective: glottal
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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
vocal cords in Science

vocal cords

[vō′kəl]
  1. The two folded pairs of membranes in the larynx (voice box) that vibrate when air that is exhaled passes through them, producing sound.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
vocal cords in Culture

vocal cords

Two folds of tissue located in the larynx that vibrate when air passes over them, producing the sound waves associated with talking and singing.

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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.