: relating to or located or produced in the region of the pharynx
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebOral jaws are used to capture prey, while pharyngeal jaws located in the back of the mouth are used to chew and swallow. Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2021 Their oral jaws are used to capture and crush prey while their pharyngeal jaws, which are positioned in their throats, are used to chew their food and move it from their mouths to the stomach.New York Times, 3 Nov. 2021 So over the course of evolution, the larynx in the human line has moved lower in our throats, opening up a much larger pharyngeal cavity than found in other primates. Louis-jean Boë, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2019 The creature only appears an hour into the film, first glimpsed as saliva-like goo and then as pharyngeal jaws that shoot out from its mouth. J.b., The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019 Most fish use a second set of jaws in their throats—the pharyngeal jaws—to crush and grind their prey.National Geographic, 13 Sep. 2016
Word History
Etymology
New Latin pharyngeus "of the pharynx" (from Medieval Latin pharyng-, pharynx pharynx + Latin -eus -eous) + -al entry 1
First Known Use
1754, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
pharyngeal
adjective
pha·ryn·geal ˌfar-ən-ˈjē-əl fə-ˈrin-j(ē-)əl
1
: relating to or located in the region of the pharynx
2
a
: innervating the pharynx especially by contributing to the formation of the pharyngeal plexus