Meaning & use
epiglottis
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemedicalbiology
A small flap of cartilage at the back of the tongue that closes over the windpipe when you swallow, stopping food from going into your lungs.
Grammar: Countable: one epiglottis, two epiglottises (or epiglottides in specialist use).
Patterns
- the epiglottis closes
- food passes the epiglottis
- damage to the epiglottis
When you swallow, the epiglottis folds down to protect your airway.
If food slips past the epiglottis, you may cough or choke.
The doctor explained that the epiglottis acts like a little lid over the windpipe.
Word forms
| plural | epiglottises |
|---|
Common combinations
- the epiglottis closes
- During swallowing, the epiglottis closes to seal off the trachea.
- food goes down the wrong way past the epiglottis
- He coughed because a bit of food had gone down the wrong way past his epiglottis.
- inflammation of the epiglottis
- Epiglottitis is a serious condition caused by inflammation of the epiglottis.
Word family
- epiglottitis noun
- Inflammation of the epiglottis, which can be dangerous.
- epiglottic adjective
- Relating to the epiglottis, as in 'epiglottic cartilage'.
Commonly confused: epiglottis or glottis?
epiglottis vs glottis
The glottis is the opening between the vocal cords; the epiglottis is the flap above it that covers the opening during swallowing.
Practice
What is the main job of the epiglottis?
Choose one answer.
The epiglottis closes over the airway when you swallow, preventing food from entering the windpipe. The other options describe the tongue, vocal cords, and nose, not the epiglottis.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “epiglottis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.