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esophagus

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The esophagus is defined as the muscle tube that allows food to travel from the throat to the stomach.

(noun)

An example of the esophagus is the part of the body that contracts and releases to allow food to move down to the stomach.

See esophagus in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. esophagi

the tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach; gullet

Origin: altered (after ML) < ME ysophagus, OFr ysofague < ML oesophagus < Gr oisophagos, lit., passage for food < oisein, fut. inf. of pherein, to carry (see bear) + phagein, to eat: see -phagous

Related Forms:

esophageal adjective

See esophagus in American Heritage Dictionary 4

also oe·soph·a·gus

noun pl. e·soph·a·gi also oe·soph·a·gi (-jīˌ, -gīˌ)

The muscular membranous tube for the passage of food from the pharynx to the stomach; the gullet.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English isophagus

Origin: , from Medieval Latin ēsophagus

Origin: , from Greek oisophagos

Origin: , arbitrary medical coinage perhaps from ois-

Origin: : future tense stem of pherein, to carry

Origin: + -phagos, food (unattested sense) (from phagein, to eat; see bhag- in Indo-European roots)

Related Forms:

e·sophˌa·geˈal (-jēˈəl) adjective

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