Esophagus Definition & Meaning

American

British

Scientific

Cultural

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms esophagus American [ih-sof-uh-guhs, ee-sof-] / ɪˈsɒf ə gəs, iˈsɒf- /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

plural

esophagi

1. a muscular passage connecting the mouth or pharynx with the stomach in invertebrate and vertebrate animals; gullet.

esophagus British / iːˈsɒfəɡəs, iːˌsɒfəˈdʒiːəl /

noun

1. the US spelling of oesophagus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 esophagus Scientific / ĭ-sŏf′ə-gəs /

plural

esophagi

1. The muscular tube in vertebrates through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach.

esophagus Cultural

1. The muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach and serves as a passageway for food. (See digestive system.)

Other Word Forms

• esophageal adjective

Etymology

Origin of esophagus

1350–1400; < New Latin oesophagus < Greek oisophágos gullet, literally, channel for eating ( oiso-, akin to oísein, future infinitive of phérein to carry + -phagos eating); replacing Middle English ysophagus < Medieval Latin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Esophageal dysmotility —disorders that affect the esophagus’ ability to move food and liquid to a person’s stomach — also contributed to Ladd’s death, People reported.

From Los Angeles Times

NRF2 overactivity plays a major role in chemotherapy resistance in several solid tumors, including cancers of the liver, esophagus and head and neck.

From Science Daily

But, days away from returning to live game action, May went to dinner in Arizona on July 10 and tore his esophagus on a bite of a salad that got lodged in his throat.

From Los Angeles Times

Dodgers pitcher Dustin May talks about how he sustained a serious tear in his esophagus that derailed his hopes of returning to the mound last season.

From Los Angeles Times

They’re “just the right size to get stuck in the esophagus of a small child, especially a child younger than four years,” Litovitz said in an email.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• larynx

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.