larynx
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin larynx, from Ancient Greek λᾰ́ρῠγξ (lárunx, “larynx; windpipe; gullet, throat”).[1]
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈlæ.ɹɪŋks/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlɛɹ.ɪŋks/, /ˈlæɹ.ɪŋks/
Audio (UK): (file) - Rhymes: -æɹɪŋks, -ɛəɹɪŋks
Noun
larynx (plural larynges or larynxes)
- (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, because it houses the vocal cords, sound production.
- Synonym: (informal) voice box
- Hyponyms: electrolarynx, mechanical larynx
- Meronyms: epilarynx, hypolarynx, orolarynx
- 1727, Walter Harris, “Section II. Of the Wonderful Works of God.”, in The Great and Wonderful Works of God Humbly Represented: And the Just and Equal Distributions of Providence Demonstrated. […], London: James Roberts […], →OCLC, pages 29–30:
- There is one thing, among abundance of others, in Anatomy, which has always much affected me with Admiration, [...] It is the Situation and Elaſticity of the Epiglottis, a ſoft Cartilaginous Cover to the Larynx, or Orifice of the Wind-pipe; that this Epiglottis ſhould, all a Man's life, be drawn up, for the Benefit of Reſpiration, and fall down and ſhut, whilſt every bit we eat, and every drop we drink, paſſes over it into the Gullet and Stomach; and that we ſhould ſo ſeldom have Occaſion to cough up a crum, or drop, that may accidentaly ſlip into the Larynx; [...]
- 1809, William Nicholson, “PHYSIOLOGY”, in The British Encyclopedia, or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences; […], volume V (N … R), London: Printed by C[harles] Whittingham, […]; for Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, […], →OCLC:
- The larynx is the instrument of the voice, of which the rima glottidis is the immediate organ. [...] The change of the voice from acute to grave at the time of puberty, when the larynx undergoes a remarkable development, as well as its acuteness in females, whose glottis is less by one third than that of man, shew that the size of the aperture has a great influence.
- 1819, Abraham Rees, “LARYNX”, in The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. [...] In Thirty-nine Volumes, volume XX, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, […] [et al.], →OCLC, column 1:
- The differences in the voices of man and woman cannot but have been always obſerved; and their larynxes exhibit, on a merely ſuperficial inſpection, a great diſproportion in ſize.
- 1830 March 16, Joshua Brookes, “XXIX. On the Remarkable Formation of the Trachea In the Egyptian Tantalus”, in The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, volume XVI, London: Richard Taylor, […]; Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longman, […]; William Wood, […], published 1833, →OCLC, page 502:
- I hope to be understood as not implying that there is no peculiarity of the larynges and tracheæ, except in some genera; for I believe all have the admirable mechanism of the organ of voice differently constructed, with corresponding muscles, and distribution of nerves, producing those various modulations of sound so familiar to us, and destined for the excitement of love, as well as for other purposes.
- 1968 April 25, John E. Bordley (witness), Departments of Labor, and Health, Education, and Welfare Appropriations for 1969: Hearings before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninetieth Congress, Second Session: […], part 7 (Members of Congress, Interested Individuals and Organizations), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 259:
- The work on larynx transplantation has been discussed in the previous paragraphs. Corollary to this is the possible development of an artificial larynx which can be implanted just as an artificial heart might be implanted. Design of such larynxes might permit a quick solution to the problem of tissue rejection.
- 2003, John Maynard Smith, David Harper, “Indices of Quality”, in Animal Signals, Oxford, Oxforshire, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 2004, →ISBN, 4.2 Are Mammalian Sounds Reliable Indices of Size?, page 47:
- The ability of Red Deer stags to lower their larynx when roaring appears to be one of the exaggerators of formant dispersal, since the resting position of the male larynx is already lower than the typical mammalian position. [...] Size exaggeration provides an intriguing, non-linguistic explanation for the descent of the human larynx [...].
- 2015, George H. Zalzal, Robin Thomas Cotton, “Glottic and Subglottic Stenosis”, in Marci M. Lesperance, Paul W. Flint, Cummings Pediatric Otolaryngology, Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders, Elsevier, →ISBN, 6: Pharynx, Larynx, Trachea, and Esophagus, page 350, column 2:
- Study of intubated larynges from infants of 22 to 40 weeks' gestation who survived a few hours to 300 days showed acute injury was almost invariable, and up to 100% of the subglottic epithelium was lost within a few hour of intubation, but progression of injury was relatively short-lived.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
organ involved in breath control, protection of the trachea, and sound production
|
See also
References
- “larynx”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- “larynx”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “larynx, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1902; “larynx, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Further reading
Category:larynx on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
