noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɛp.ɪˈɡlɒt.ɪs/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/ˌɛp.ɪˈɡlɑ.tɪs/
Canada, General-American:[ˌɛp.ɪˈɡlɑ.ɾɪs]
Australian:/ˌep.ɪˈɡlɔt.ɪs/
Australian:[ˌep.ɪˈɡlɔɾ.ɪs]
rhymes with -ɒtɪs
1
noun
Meaning 1
A cartilaginous organ in the throat of terrestrial vertebrates covering the glottis when swallowing to prevent food and liquid from entering the trachea, and in Homo sapiens also a speech organ.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a flap of cartilage that covers the windpipe while swallowing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cartilaginous structure
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epi Proto-Hellenic *epí Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí) Ancient Greek ἐπῐ- (epĭ-) Proto-Hellenic *glṓťťā Ancient Greek γλῶσσᾰ (glôssă) Ancient Greek -ις (-is) Ancient Greek γλωσσῐ́ς (glōssĭ́s) Ancient Greek ἐπῐγλωσσῐ́ς (epĭglōssĭ́s) Ancient Greek ἐπῐγλωττῐ́ς (epĭglōttĭ́s)bor. New Latin epiglōttislbor. English epiglottis Borrowed from New Latin epiglōttis, from Ancient Greek ἐπῐγλωττῐ́ς (epĭglōttĭ́s, “valve covering the larynx”), from ἐπῐ- (epĭ-, “upon, over”) + γλωττῐ́ς (glōttĭ́s, “glottis, mouth of the windpipe”); equivalent to epi- (“upon; above”) + glottis.
Across languages
Translations
43 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
mbishtegth
— cartilaginous organ
Arabic:
لِسَان اَلْمِزْمَار
(lisān al-mizmār)
— cartilaginous organ
Arabic:
لسان المزمار
(lisaan el muzmaar)
— cartilaginous organ
Armenian:
կատիկ
(katik)
— cartilaginous organ
Armenian:
մակալեզու
(makalezu)
— cartilaginous organ
Armenian:
մակալեզվակ
(makalezvak)
— cartilaginous organ
Catalan:
epiglotis
— cartilaginous organ
Chinese Mandarin:
會厭 /会厌
(huìyàn)
— cartilaginous organ
Czech:
hrtanová příklopka
— cartilaginous organ
Dutch:
epiglottis
— cartilaginous organ
Dutch:
strotklep
— cartilaginous organ
Finnish:
kurkunkansi
— cartilaginous organ
French:
épiglotte
— cartilaginous organ
German:
Epiglottis
— cartilaginous organ
Greek:
επιγλωττίδα
(epiglottída)
— cartilaginous organ
Hungarian:
gégefedő
— cartilaginous organ
Icelandic:
speldi
— cartilaginous organ
Icelandic:
barkakýlislok
— cartilaginous organ
Icelandic:
barkalok
— cartilaginous organ
Ido:
epigloto
— cartilaginous organ
Indonesian:
epiglotis
— cartilaginous organ
Japanese:
会厭
(een)
— cartilaginous organ
Japanese:
喉頭蓋
— cartilaginous organ
Kazakh:
бөбешік
(böbeşık)
— cartilaginous organ
Korean:
후두개
(hudugae)
— cartilaginous organ
Northern Kurdish:
zimanê kirkiragê
— cartilaginous organ
Northern Kurdish:
zimanê zûrnayî
— cartilaginous organ
Latvian:
uzbalsenis
— cartilaginous organ
Māori:
kōpani
— cartilaginous organ
Norwegian Bokmål:
epiglottis
— cartilaginous organ
Norwegian Bokmål:
strupelokk
— cartilaginous organ
Polish:
nagłośnia
— cartilaginous organ
Portuguese:
epiglote
— cartilaginous organ
Russian:
надгорта́нник
(nadgortánnik)
— cartilaginous organ
Spanish:
epiglotis
— cartilaginous organ
Swedish:
epiglottis
— cartilaginous organ
Swedish:
struplock
— cartilaginous organ
Tagalog:
harang-pasadila
— cartilaginous organ
Thai:
ฝากล่องเสียง
(fǎa-glɔ̀ng-sǐiang)
— cartilaginous organ
