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Glite Dictionary
epiglottic

epiglottic

8.3
Relating to the small flap in the throat that covers the windpipe when you swallow
  • adjective
  • /ˌɛpɪˈɡlɒtɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : epiglotal
  • The epiglottic barrier prevents food from entering the airway when swallowing.

Examples

  • This series of video images identifies poor epiglottic movement.

    Academic text (2004)

  • This series of images demonstrates epiglottic inversion.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Based on these findings, we reached a presumptive diagnosis of a vallecular/epiglottic cyst.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The doctor examined the patient's epiglottic function to determine if swallowing was compromised.

  • Improper positioning of the epiglottic flap can lead to choking during meals.

Compounds

epiglottic cartilage
  • Specialized
7.4

A thin flexible piece of cartilage that helps the epiglottis close the airway when you swallow

Surface Forms

epiglottic positive

Morphology

epiglottic = epiglottis (transparent) = epi + glottis + ic

Formed by standard adjectival suffixation from the noun 'epiglottis', meaning 'relating to the epiglottis'.

Etymology

Epiglottic comes from Greek parts epi- 'on' and glottis 'tongue', so it literally means 'on the tongue'. The word describes the small flap of tissue near the tongue that covers the windpipe when you swallow, so the name fits what it does.