(laryngopharynx) n. the part of the pharynx that lies below the level of the hyoid bone.
n. the part of the *pharynx that lies between the level of the junction of the hard and soft palates above, the hyoid bone below, and the arch of the soft palate in front. It contains the *tonsils and connects the oral cavity and *nasopharynx to the *hypopharynx. —oropharyngeal adj.... oropharynx
n. a muscular tube, lined with mucous membrane, that extends from the beginning of the oesophagus (gullet) up to the base of the skull. It is divided into the *nasopharynx, *oropharynx, and *hypopharynx (see illustration) and it communicates with the posterior *nares, *Eustachian tube, the mouth, larynx, and oesophagus. The pharynx acts as a passageway for food from the mouth to the oesophagus, and as an air passage from the nasal cavity and mouth to the larynx. It also acts as a resonating chamber for the sounds produced in the larynx. —pharyngeal adj.... pharynx
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