Main Entry: phar·ynx

Pronunciation: \ˈfar-iŋ(k)s\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural pha·ryn·ges \fə-ˈrin-(ˌ)jēz\ also phar·ynx·es

: the part of the digestive and respiratory tracts situated between the cavity of the mouth and the esophagus and in humans being a conical musculomembranous tube about four and a half inches (11.43 centimeters) long that is continuous above with the mouth and nasal passages, communicates through the eustachian tubes with the ears, and extends downward past the opening into the larynx to the lower border of the cricoid cartilage where it is continuous with the esophagus—see laryngopharynx, nasopharynx, oropharynx

[pharynx illustration]