hyoid bone

noun

variants or less commonly hyoid

plural hyoid bones also hyoids

: a U-shaped bone or complex of bones that is situated between the base of the tongue and the larynx and that supports the tongue, the larynx, and their muscles

Examples of hyoid bone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The medical examiner testified to her findings, but Tucker noticed that the autopsy revealed the hyoid bone in Marianne's neck was intact and not broken. —CBS News, 15 Oct. 2022

The hyoid bone viewed superiorly in humans (left), Neanderthals (center), and chimpanzees (right). —Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2018

Strangulation almost always leaves physical signs such as bruising, pinpricks of under-the-skin bleeding in the face, or fractures of the hyoid bone in the neck, said Gary Watts, president of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. —Author: Wesley Lowery, Hannah Knowles, Mark Berman, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Dec. 2020

The hyoid bone can be broken during strangulation. —Faith Karimi and Maggie Fox, CNN, 4 June 2020

The results were shocking: Shele had a broken hyoid bone - a small, easily breakable bone in the neck region that is often associated with a chokehold. —Erin Murtha, ABC News, 27 Jan. 2023

For example, rubber represented the supportive and slightly-elastic nature of the hyoid bone, while aluminum mimicked the brain-skull fluid. —Patrick Morgan, Discover Magazine, 7 Feb. 2011

In addition, his hyoid bone, which forms the base of the tongue, was dislocated and partially degraded. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 22 Sep. 2016

Modern humans have neither an air sac nor an extension on the hyoid bone. —Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2011

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Word History

Etymology

New Latin hyoides, from Greek hyoeidēs shaped like the letter upsilon (Υ, υ), being the hyoid bone, from y, hy upsilon

First Known Use

circa 1811, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hyoid bone

noun

: a U-shaped bone or complex of bones that is situated between the base of the tongue and the larynx and that supports the tongue, the larynx, and their muscles

called also hyoid, lingual bone