Windpipe

Windpipe
The windpipe, or larynx, is the portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract containing the vocal cords which produce vocal sounds. The windpipe, or larynx, is located between the pharynx and the trachea. It is a 2-inch-long, tube-shaped organ in the neck. We use the larynx when we breathe, talk, or swallow. Its outer wall of cartilage forms the area of the front of the neck referred to as "Adam's apple." The vocal cords are two bands of muscle that form a "V" inside the larynx. Each time we inhale (breathe in), air goes into our nose or mouth, then through the larynx, down the trachea, and into our lungs. When we exhale (breathe out), the air goes the other way. When we breathe, the vocal cords relax and air moves through the space between them without making a sound. When we talk, the vocal cords tighten up and move closer together. Air from the lungs is forced between them and makes them vibrate, producing the sound of our voice. The tongue, lips, and teeth form this sound into words. The esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach, is just behind the trachea and the larynx. The openings of the esophagus and the larynx are very close together in the throat. When we swallow, a flap called the epiglottis moves down over the larynx to keep food out of the windpipe. The windpipe, or larynx, is also sometimes called the voice box.
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SYN: trachea.

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wind·pipe 'win(d)-.pīp n TRACHEA

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n.

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wind·pipe (windґpīp) the trachea.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Windpipe — Wind pipe , n. (Anat.) The passage for the breath from the larynx to the lungs; the trachea; the weasand. See Illust. under {Lung}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • windpipe — (n.) trachea, 1520s, from WIND (Cf. wind) (n.1) in the breath sense + PIPE (Cf. pipe) (n.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • windpipe — ► NOUN ▪ the trachea …   English terms dictionary

  • windpipe — [wind′pīp΄] n. TRACHEA (sense 1) …   English World dictionary

  • windpipe — UK [ˈwɪn(d)ˌpaɪp] / US noun [countable] Word forms windpipe : singular windpipe plural windpipes the tube in your body that carries air into your lungs from your nose or mouth …   English dictionary

  • windpipe — [[t]wɪ̱ndpaɪp[/t]] windpipes N COUNT Your windpipe is the tube in your body that carries air into your lungs when you breathe. Syn: trachea …   English dictionary

  • windpipe — noun Date: 1530 trachea 1 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • windpipe — /wind puyp /, n. the trachea of an air breathing vertebrate. [1520 30; WIND1 + PIPE1] * * * …   Universalium

  • windpipe — noun a) The trachea. b) Any duct for air or other gas …   Wiktionary

  • windpipe — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. airpipe, trachea; throat, throttle; weasand. See passage. II (Roget s IV) n. Syn. airpipe, bronchus, trachea; see throat …   English dictionary for students

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