epi·glot·tis | \ ˌe-pə-ˈglä-təs 
\
\Definition of epiglottis
: a thin plate of flexible cartilage in front of the glottis that folds back over and protects the glottis during swallowing
Examples of epiglottis in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web If an underlying infection has caused the epiglottis to become inflamed, thus causing epiglottitis, a course of antibiotics might be prescribed to treat the condition, per the NHS.
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Maggie O'neill, Health.com, "‘Dancing With the Stars' Celeb Jeannie Mai Diagnosed With Epiglottitis—Here’s What to Know About the Condition," 2 Nov. 2020 The device lifts the epiglottis, exposing the vocal cords.
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Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, "The Plague Year," 28 Dec. 2020 The inflammation of the epiglottis, which can lead to epiglottitis, is often caused by bacteria, per MedlinePlus.
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Maggie O'neill, Health.com, "‘Dancing With the Stars' Celeb Jeannie Mai Diagnosed With Epiglottitis—Here’s What to Know About the Condition," 2 Nov. 2020 Epiglottitis is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition in which the epiglottis, that little bit of cartilage that covers and protects your windpipe, becomes inflamed, the Mayo Clinic explains.
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Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Jeannie Mai Was Hospitalized and Forced to Leave DWTS After Epiglottitis Diagnosis," 2 Nov. 2020 When a singer sings this high, the epiglottis closes over the larynx, making the mechanics impossible to film with a medical camera and therefore beyond scientific study.
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Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "The Sweet Fantasy of the Female Pop Star," 9 Oct. 2020 This maneuver lifts the epiglottis and brings the vocal cords into view.
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Clayton Dalton, The New Yorker, "The Risks of Normalizing the Coronavirus," 27 May 2020 The girl was taken to University Medical Center, where she was hospitalized for four days with injuries and burns to her epiglottis, throat, tongue, lips and surrounding areas, according to the complaint.
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NBC News, "Girl's mouth allegedly set on fire by a dentist in what experts call a 'freak accident'," 9 Jan. 2020 For doctors like us, this means initiating a conversation about the value that each patient places on eating before evaluating how food passes over the epiglottis.
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Douglas Jacobs, Washington Post, "Problems swallowing are a big killer, but the treatment can be horrible," 7 Mar. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'epiglottis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for epiglottis
epiglottis
nounepi·glot·tis | \ ˌep-ə-ˈglät-əs \
\Medical Definition of epiglottis
: a thin lamella of yellow elastic cartilage that ordinarily projects upward behind the tongue and just in front of the glottis and that with the arytenoid cartilages serves to cover the glottis during the act of swallowing
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Time Traveler for epiglottis
The first known use of epiglottis was in the 15th century
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