pharynx
Meaning of pharynx: The pharynx is the shared muscular passage behind the nose and mouth through which both air and food travel before separating into distinct pathways.
Definition of pharynx
The pharynx, commonly called the throat, is a muscular tube that begins behind the nasal cavity and extends down to where it connects with both the esophagus, the tube leading to the stomach, and the larynx, the entrance to the airway. It is divided into three regions, the nasopharynx behind the nose, the oropharynx behind the mouth, and the laryngopharynx just above the larynx and esophagus.
Because both air and food pass through the pharynx before continuing along separate paths, this region serves a shared role in breathing, swallowing, and speech. During swallowing, a small flap of tissue called the epiglottis moves to cover the entrance to the airway, directing food and liquid into the esophagus rather than into the lungs.
This shared pathway is also why choking and aspiration, the entry of food or liquid into the airway, occur specifically at the level of the pharynx, where the routes for breathing and swallowing briefly overlap.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Examination of the pharynx was performed to evaluate the patient's difficulty swallowing.
Good to know
Because the pharynx serves as a shared passage for both air and food, problems affecting the coordination of swallowing at this level can allow food or liquid to enter the airway instead of the esophagus.
Word origin
Where “pharynx” comes from
Formed from Greek pharynx, meaning throat.