Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The section of the alimentary canal that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx, where it becomes continuous with the esophagus.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A museulo-membranous pouch situated at the back of the nasal cavities, mouth, and larynx, and extending from the base of the skull to the cricoid cartilage. It is continuous below with the esophagus, and communicates above with the nasal passages, Eustachian tubes, mouth, and larynx. It may be conveniently considered to be divided into the pharyngonasal, pharyngooral, and pharyngolaryngeal cavities. The pharynx has also been divided into two parts, called
nasopharynx and oropharynx. See cuts under Branchiotma, mouth, and lamprey. - n. In invertebrates, some tubular or infundibuliform beginning of the alimentary canal or continuation of the oral aperture A structure to which the name applies is very commonly found in invertebrates, even among those of microscopic size, as rotifers and infusorians. See cut under Oxyuris, Appendicularia, and Arctisca.
Wiktionary
- n. anatomy The part of the alimentary canal that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx, where it becomes continuous with the esophagus.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Anat.) The part of the alimentary canal between the cavity of the mouth and the esophagus. It has one or two external openings through the nose in the higher vertebrates, and lateral branchial openings in fishes and some amphibias.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone
Etymologies
- From New Latin pharynx, from Ancient Greek φάρυγξ (pharunks, "pharynx"). (Wiktionary)
- New Latin pharynx, pharyng-, from Greek pharunx. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“What it means is that her pharynx, which is part of her throat area humans have them too!”
“When the pharynx is the seat of disease, breathing and swallowing are difficult and painful.”
“The pharynx is the part of the food canal that is crossed by the passageway for the air.”
“Just back of the pharynx is the esophagus which leads to the beginning of the stomach.”
“Depressing the tongue we can readily see the back wall of the pharynx, which is common to the two main avenues leading to the lungs and the stomach.”
“But matters are rather complicated by the presence of an atrial cavity round the pharynx, which is not certainly represented in the vertebrata, and which the student is at first apt to call the body cavity, although it is entirely distinct and different from that space.”
“The endostyle (end.), in Figures 3 and 4, is a ciliated path or groove on the under side of the pharynx, which is generally supposed to represent the thyroid gland of vertebrates.”
“In the posterior part of the pharynx is the superior extremity of the gullet, the canal through which the feed and water pass to the stomach.”
“Inflammation of the pharynx is a complication of other diseases -- namely, influenza, strangles, etc. -- and is probably always more or less complicated with inflammation of the larynx.”
“Most of the Platodaria have not the muscular pharynx, which is very advanced in the Turbellaria and”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pharynx’.
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X Marks the Spot
Words ending in "x" (except proper nouns and trademarks)
ax, ex, ox, soapbox, smallpox, six, sex, sax, rex, pressbox, climax, chickenpox and 208 more...
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Anatomically Correct
canthus, vibrissa, femoral, sphenoid, dura mater, pia mater, epiglottis, glottis, mons veneris, plaque, tibia, ulna and 96 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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the physical experience
wank, snog, tendon, sinew, sauce shelf, pet, arse, astigmatism, bisexual, brassiere, breast, climax and 186 more...
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nfk9595's Words
magnetohydrodynamics, bovine, epistle, gargantuan, kerfuffle, verbiage, morose, coup de main, elan, achtung, uber, verboten and 497 more...
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Favorite Body Part Words
pancreas, amygdala, cerebellum, patella, elbow, earlobe, hippocampus, metatarsal, urethra, islet of langerhans, pharynx, eustachian tube and 26 more...
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Snoring
Words associated with snoring
apnea, sleep, pharynx, throat, snore, breathing, blockage, loud, heavy, night, nose, nasal and 3 more...
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quark, quark, quark!
science words that are fun to say
math, too
"I like to say 'quark'! Quark, quark, quark, quark!" - Hobbesscatological, circadian rhythm, imago, quark, gastrointestinal, phylum, protease inhibitor, trilobite, solar plexus, ratite, strata, quasar and 86 more...
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Words that rhyme with 'larynx'
Note: full (i.e. feminine) rhymes only. 'Sphinx', 'rinks' etc not accepted.
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Throat
Nouns related to throat.
Tweets
Looking for tweets for pharynx.
chained_bear The cavity between the mouth and the esophagus, lined by a mucous membrane and enclosed by muscles, and communicating also with the nasal cavity, Eustachian tubes, and larynx.
Wow. That definition has a lot of other cool words in it. So does this one:
In invertebrates: the part of the alimentary canal immediately posterior to the buccal cavity.
Feb 5, 2007