epiglottis

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UK/ˌɛp.ɪˈɡlɒt.ɪs/Canada, US/ˌɛp.ɪˈɡlɑ.tɪs/Canada, US[ˌɛp.ɪˈɡlɑ.ɾɪs]Australia/ˌep.ɪˈɡlɔt.ɪs/

noun

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.

OriginNew Latin epiglōtti ← Ancient Greek ἐπῐγλωττῐ́ς (epĭglōttĭ́s) ← Proto-Hellenic *glṓt͏̌t͏̌ā →
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Meanings

nounepiglottis (plural epiglottises or epiglottides)

plural epiglottises · plural epiglottides

  1. anatomyA 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.

    My epiglottis is full of bees!

    2004, Top Gear, season 5, episode 9, Jeremy Clarkson (actor)

Origin

  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. Englishepiglottis

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.

More words from New Latin, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic لِسَان اَلْمِزْمَار
  • لِسَان اَلْمِزْمَار (lisān al-mizmār)cartilaginous organ
Catalan epiglotis
  • epiglotiscartilaginous organ
Chinese Mandarin 會厭 /会厌
  • 會厭 /会厌 (huìyàn)cartilaginous organ
Czech hrtanová příklopka
  • hrtanová příklopkacartilaginous organ
Dutch epiglottis, strotklep
  • epiglottiscartilaginous organ
  • strotklepcartilaginous organ
Finnish kurkunkansi
  • kurkunkansicartilaginous organ
French épiglotte
  • épiglottecartilaginous organ
German Epiglottis
  • Epiglottiscartilaginous organ
Greek επιγλωττίδα
  • επιγλωττίδα (epiglottída)cartilaginous organ
Hungarian gégefedő
  • gégefedőcartilaginous organ
Icelandic speldi, barkakýlislok
  • speldicartilaginous organ
  • barkakýlislokcartilaginous organ
  • barkalokcartilaginous organ
Indonesian epiglotis
  • epiglotiscartilaginous organ
Japanese 会厭, 喉頭蓋
  • 会厭 (een)cartilaginous organ
  • 喉頭蓋cartilaginous organ
Korean 후두개
  • 후두개 (hudugae)cartilaginous organ
Latvian uzbalsenis
  • uzbalseniscartilaginous organ
Māori kōpani
  • kōpanicartilaginous organ
Norwegian Bokmål epiglottis, strupelokk
  • epiglottiscartilaginous organ
  • strupelokkcartilaginous organ
Polish nagłośnia
  • nagłośniacartilaginous organ
Portuguese epiglote
  • epiglotecartilaginous organ
Russian надгорта́нник
  • надгорта́нник (nadgortánnik)cartilaginous organ
Spanish epiglotis
  • epiglotiscartilaginous organ
Swedish epiglottis, struplock
  • epiglottiscartilaginous organ
  • struplockcartilaginous organ
Tagalog harang-pasadila
  • harang-pasadilacartilaginous organ
Thai ฝากล่องเสียง
  • ฝากล่องเสียง (fǎa-glɔ̀ng-sǐiang)cartilaginous organ
Turkish epiglottis, epiglot
  • epiglottiscartilaginous organ
  • epiglotcartilaginous organ
  • gırtlak kapağıcartilaginous organ
Vietnamese nắp họng
  • nắp họngcartilaginous organ

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with epiglottis

glottisproglottissubglottissupraglottis
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

epiglottis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epiglottis

MLA

“epiglottis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epiglottis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “epiglottis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epiglottis.

Source: epiglottis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.