Etymology

epiglottis

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Today it means: 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. Full definition →

New Latin epiglōtti ← Ancient Greek ἐπῐγλωττῐ́ς (epĭglōttĭ́s) ← Proto-Hellenic *glṓt͏̌t͏̌ā
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ep-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éps
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₁épi
  4. Proto-Hellenic*epí
  5. Ancient Greekἐπί (epí)
  6. Ancient Greekἐπῐ- (epĭ-)
  7. Proto-Hellenic*glṓt͏̌t͏̌ā
  8. Ancient Greekγλῶσσᾰ (glôssă)
  9. Ancient Greekγλωσσῐ́ς (glōssĭ́s)
  10. Ancient Greekἐπῐγλωσσῐ́ς (epĭglōssĭ́s)
  11. Ancient Greekἐπῐγλωττῐ́ς (epĭglōttĭ́s)
  12. New Latinepiglōtti
  13. English todayepiglottis

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.