Main Entry: esoph·a·gus

Variant(s): or chiefly British oe·soph·a·gus \i-ˈsäf-ə-gəs\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural esoph·a·gi \-ˌgī, -ˌjī\

: a muscular tube that in adult humans is about nine inches (23 centimeters) long and passes from the pharynx down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column and behind the left bronchus where it pierces the diaphragm slightly to the left of the middle line and joins the cardiac end of the stomach

[esophagus illustration]