Phrase guide

vocal cord

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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1

noun

Meaning 1

Either of two pairs of folds of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the human larynx whose vibrations help to produce the voice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural-normally

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vocal band, vocal fold, plica vocalis

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

either of two pairs of folds of mucous membrane projecting into the larynx

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vocal fold, vocal band, plica vocalis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fold, plica

Narrower terms: false vocal cord, false vocal fold, superior vocal cord, ventricular fold, vestibular fold, true vocal cord, true vocal fold, inferior vocal cord, inferior vocal fold

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 聲帶 /声带 (seng1 daai3) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Chinese: 聲帶 /声带 (zh-min-nan) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Chinese Mandarin: 聲帶 /声带 (shēngdài) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Czech: hlasivka — folds of mucous membrane
  • Danish: stemmebånd — folds of mucous membrane
  • Dutch: stemband — folds of mucous membrane
  • Esperanto: voĉkordo — folds of mucous membrane
  • Finnish: äänihuuli — folds of mucous membrane
  • French: corde vocale — folds of mucous membrane
  • German: Stimmband — folds of mucous membrane
  • Greenlandic: nipiliuut — folds of mucous membrane
  • Hungarian: hangszál — folds of mucous membrane
  • Italian: corda vocale — folds of mucous membrane
  • Japanese: 声帯 (seitai) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Korean: 성대 (seongdae) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Northern Kurdish: dengejê — folds of mucous membrane
  • Latvian: balss saite — folds of mucous membrane
  • Norwegian: stämmebånd — folds of mucous membrane
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stämmeband — folds of mucous membrane
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: røsteband — folds of mucous membrane
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: røstband — folds of mucous membrane
  • Pannonian Rusyn: гласова струна (hlasova struna) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Pannonian Rusyn: гласовка (hlasovka) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Polish: struna głosowa — folds of mucous membrane
  • Polish: więzadło głosowe — folds of mucous membrane
  • Portuguese: corda vocal — folds of mucous membrane
  • Romanian: coardă vocală — folds of mucous membrane
  • Russian: голосова́я свя́зка (golosovája svjázka) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Spanish: cuerda vocal — folds of mucous membrane
  • Swahili: nyuzisauti — folds of mucous membrane
  • Swedish: stämband — folds of mucous membrane
  • Swedish: stämläpp — folds of mucous membrane
  • Swedish: stämläppe — folds of mucous membrane
  • Thai: เส้นเสียง (sêen-sǐiang) — folds of mucous membrane
  • Turkish: ses teli — folds of mucous membrane
  • Welsh: tant y llais — folds of mucous membrane