pharynx

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the muscular passage behind the nose and mouth that leads toward the larynx and esophagus

   Air and swallowed food both pass through the pharynx before taking separate routes.

2. 2
   noun

   a specialized part of the digestive tract immediately behind the mouth in many invertebrates

   The worm extends its muscular pharynx to draw in food.

Borrowed through Medieval or New Latin pharynx from Greek pharynx, "throat" or "gullet." The Greek word may be related to pharanx, "gully" or "chasm," though its deeper origin is uncertain. Its stem pharyng- appears in pharyngeal and nasopharynx.

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