Standard Lemma guide

stylopharyngeus

noun · 1 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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  • General-American: /ˌstaɪ.loʊ.fəˈɹɪn.d͡ʒi.əs/
  • General-American: /ˌstaɪ.loʊˌfæɹ.ənˈd͡ʒi.əs/
  • rhymes with -ɪndʒiəs
  • rhymes with -iːəs

1

noun

Meaning 1

A slender muscle in the head that arises from the base of the styloid process of the temporal bone, inserts into the side of the pharynx, and acts with the contralateral muscle in swallowing to increase the transverse diameter of the pharynx by drawing its sides upward and laterally.

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

History

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin stylopharyngeus, clipping of mūsculus stylopharyngeus (“stylopharyngeal muscle”). Doublet of stylopharyngeal.

Across languages

Translations

1 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 莖突咽肌 /茎突咽肌 (jīngtúyānjī) — muscle