larynx
UK /ˈlæ.ɹɪŋks/ · US /ˈlɛɹ.ɪŋks/ noun
Forms larynges larynxes
- noun (anatomy, zootomy) A hollow muscular organ of the neck of mammals situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the oesophagus. It is involved in breath control and protection of the trachea, and, as it houses the vocal cords, sound production.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin larynx, from Ancient Greek λᾰ́ρῠγξ (lắrŭnx, “larynx; windpipe; gullet, throat”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The expanded upper end of the windpipe or trachea, connected with the hyoid bone or cartilage. It contains the vocal cords, which produce the voice by their vibrations, when they are stretched and a current of air passes between them. The larynx is connected with the pharynx by an opening, the glottis, which, in mammals, is protected by a lidlike epiglottis.
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “larynx”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details