cervix

What it means

1. anatomyThe neck.

   I put my hands on Madeleine's hot cheeks, making a prize cup of my hands and her cervix, and tilted her head to one side.

   1979, Clive Sinclair, Hearts of Gold, Penguin, published 1983, page 10

2. anatomyThe necklike portion of an organ or part of the body.
3. specificallyThe cervix uteri, or lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina.

   Screening involves taking a small sample of cells from the cervix and looking for high-risk HPV that could develop into cancer if left untreated.

   2023 January 23, Anna Bawden, The Guardian

In a sentence

I put my hands on Madeleine's hot cheeks, making a prize cup of my hands and her cervix, and tilted her head to one side.

1979, Clive Sinclair, Hearts of Gold, Penguin, published 1983, page 10

Where it comes from

1. Latincervīx“neck”
2. Englishcervix

Borrowed from Latin cervīx (“neck”), see below.