Standard Lemma guide

pharynx

noun · 3 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfa.ɹɪŋks/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈfɛɹ.ɪŋks/
  • General-American: /ˈfæɹ.ɪŋks/
  • rhymes with -æɹɪŋks
  • rhymes with -ɛəɹɪŋks
  • CMU ARPABET: F EH1 R IH0 NG K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The part of the alimentary canal and respiratory tract that extends from the back of the mouth and nasal cavity to the larynx and esophagus.

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

The part of the alimentary canal immediately behind the mouth in invertebrates that may be thickened and muscular, eversible and toothed, or adapted as a suctorial organ.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, zoology, zootomy

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: throat

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tubular cavity

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek φάρυγξ (phárunx)bor. New Latin pharynxbor. English pharynx Borrowing from New Latin pharynx, from Ancient Greek φᾰ́ρῠγξ (phắrŭnx, “throat”).

Across languages

Translations

71 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بُلْعُوم (bulʕūm) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Arabic: بَلعوم (balʕūm, balʕōm) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Arabic: لغلوغ (laḡlūḡ) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Arabic: بَلْعوم (balʕūm) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Armenian: ըմպան (əmpan) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Armenian: կոկորդաբերան (kokordaberan) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Asturian: farinxe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Bengali: গলবিল (golbil) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Bulgarian: глътка (glǎtka) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Bulgarian: фаринкс (farinks) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Catalan: faringe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 咽頭 /咽头 (yāntóu) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 咽 (yān) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Czech: hltan — part of the alimentary canal
  • Danish: svælg — part of the alimentary canal
  • Dutch: farynx — part of the alimentary canal
  • Esperanto: faringo — part of the alimentary canal
  • Estonian: neel — part of the alimentary canal
  • Estonian: faarünks — part of the alimentary canal
  • Faroese: svølg — part of the alimentary canal
  • Faroese: svølgrúm — part of the alimentary canal
  • Finnish: nielu — part of the alimentary canal
  • Finnish: farynks — part of the alimentary canal
  • French: pharynx — part of the alimentary canal
  • Friulian: faringje — part of the alimentary canal
  • Galician: farinxe — part of the alimentary canal
  • German: Rachen — part of the alimentary canal
  • German: Pharynx — part of the alimentary canal
  • Greek: φάρυγγας (fáryngas) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Hebrew: לֹעַ (lóa) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Hebrew: בֵּית הַבְּלִיעָה (bet habli'á) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Hungarian: garat — part of the alimentary canal
  • Icelandic: kok — part of the alimentary canal
  • Ido: faringo — part of the alimentary canal
  • Interlingua: pharynge — part of the alimentary canal
  • Irish: faraing — part of the alimentary canal
  • Italian: faringe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Japanese: 咽頭 (intō) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Korean: 인두 (indu) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Northern Kurdish: gewrî — part of the alimentary canal
  • Northern Kurdish: gerû — part of the alimentary canal
  • Latin: pharynx — part of the alimentary canal
  • Macedonian: го́лтник (góltnik) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Macedonian: ждре́ло (ždrélo) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Malay: farinks — part of the alimentary canal
  • Māori: paeoro — part of the alimentary canal
  • Norwegian Bokmål: svelg — part of the alimentary canal
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: svelg — part of the alimentary canal
  • Occitan: faringe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Persian: حلق (halq) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Persian: نایگلو (nây-gelu) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Polish: gardło — part of the alimentary canal
  • Portuguese: faringe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Romanian: faringe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Russian: фа́ринкс (fárinks) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Russian: зев (zev) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Russian: гло́тка (glótka) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Russian: горта́нь (gortánʹ) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Serbo-Croatian: ждријело — part of the alimentary canal
  • Serbo-Croatian: ždrijelo — part of the alimentary canal
  • Slovak: hltan — part of the alimentary canal
  • Slovene: žrêlo — part of the alimentary canal
  • Spanish: faringe — part of the alimentary canal
  • Swedish: svalg — part of the alimentary canal
  • Tagalog: lalagukan — part of the alimentary canal
  • Tamil: தொண்டைப்புரை (toṇṭaippurai) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Thai: คอหอย (kɔɔ-hɔ̌i) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Thai: ช่องคอ (chɔ̂ng-kɔɔ) — part of the alimentary canal
  • Turkish: yutak — part of the alimentary canal
  • Vietnamese: yết hầu — part of the alimentary canal
  • Volapük: farin — part of the alimentary canal
Real reading context

pharynx in complete knowledge articles