hyoid

[ hahy-oid ]

adjective

Also hy·oi·dal, hy·oi·de·an. noting or pertaining to a U-shaped bone at the root of the tongue in humans, or a corresponding bone or collection of bones in animals.

noun

the hyoid bone.

Origin of hyoid

1700–10; <New Latin hȳoïdes<Greek hȳoeidḗs, shaped like the letter hypsilon (i.e. upsilon), equivalent to hȳ- (derivative of letter name hŷ, variant of ŷ;see upsilon) + -oeidēs-oid

Other words from hyoid

post·hy·oid, adjective
sub·hy·oid, adjective
sub·hy·oid·e·an, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for hyoid

hyoid

/ (ˈhaɪɔɪd) /

adjectiveAlso: hyoidal, hyoidean

of or relating to the hyoid bone

nounAlso: hyoid bone

the horseshoe-shaped bone that lies at the base of the tongue and above the thyroid cartilage
a corresponding bone or group of bones in other vertebrates

Origin of hyoid

C19: from New Latin hӯoïdes, from Greek huoeidēs having the shape of the letter upsilon, from hu upsilon + -oid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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