epiglottis

(noun)

A cartilaginous organ in the throat of terrestrial vertebrates that covers the glottis when swallowing to prevent food and liquid from entering the trachea. In Homo sapiens it is also a speech organ.

Related Terms

Examples of epiglottis in the following topics:

  • Laryngitis and Cancer of the Larynx

    • For the purposes of tumor staging, the larynx is divided into three anatomical regions: the glottis (true vocal cords, anterior and posterior commissures); the supraglottis (epiglottis, arytenoids and aryepiglottic folds, and false cords); and the subglottis.
    • Cancer of the larynx outgrowing from the base of the epiglottis.
    • The apparent extensive exophytic change involves the epiglottis and the vocal cords.

  • Digestion in the Mouth, Pharynx, and Esophagus

    • When older children and adults do this (caused by failure of the epiglottis to close off the trachea), they choke.
    • Because both food and air pass through the pharynx, a flap of connective tissue, the epiglottis, closes over the trachea when food is swallowed to prevent choking or asphyxiation.
    • It lies inferior to the upright epiglottis and extends to the larynx, where the respiratory and digestive pathways diverge.

  • Pharynx

    • The epiglottis lies between the oropharynx and the laryngopharynx, and it is a flap of elastic cartilage that closes during swallowing to ensure food enters the esophagus rather than the trachea.
    • It lies inferior to the epiglottis and marks the division between the respiratory and digestive system pathways.
    • During swallowing, the epiglottis closes over the trachea and air passage temporarily stops.

  • Larynx

    • The epiglottic cartilage is the body of the epiglottis itself that connects to the larynx from above.
    • The larynx extends vertically from the tip of the epiglottis to the border of the cricoid cartilage that marks the formal beginning of the trachea.
    • The folds of the larynx close and move upwards during swallowing, which causes the epiglottis to close off the trachea.

  • Pharynx

    • The anterior wall consists of the base of the tongue and the the epiglottis tissue.
    • Because both food and air pass through the pharynx, a flap of connective tissue called the epiglottis closes over the glottis (tracheal opening) when food is swallowed to prevent accidental inhalation.
    • It lies inferior to the epiglottis and extends to the location where this common pathway diverges into the respiratory (larynx) and digestive (esophagus) pathways.

  • Overview of the Axial Skeleton

    • It provides attachment to the muscles of the floor of the mouth and the tongue above, the larynx below, and the epiglottis and pharynx behind.

  • Esophagus

    • Once food material is pushed into the throat, or pharynx, the trachea (windpipe) is blocked by a flap of tissue known as the epiglottis to prevent the aspiration of food.

  • Digestive System: Mouth and Stomach

    • The tracheal opening, the glottis, is covered by a cartilaginous flap, the epiglottis.
    • When swallowing, the epiglottis closes the glottis, allowing food to pass into the esophagus, not into the trachea, preventing food from reaching the lungs.

  • Gustation: Taste Buds and Taste

    • The sense of taste is transduced by taste buds, which are clusters of 50-100 taste receptor cells located in the tongue, soft palate, epiglottis, pharynx, and esophagus.
    • A cross-section of the human head, which displays the location of the mouth, tongue, pharynx, epiglottis, and throat.

  • Trachea

    • The epiglottis closes the opening to the larynx during swallowing to prevent swallowed matter from entering the trachea.