Library / English Dictionary

NASOPHARYNX

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: nasopharynges   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cavity forming the upper part of the pharynx

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("nasopharynx" is a kind of...):

bodily cavity; cavity; cavum ((anatomy) a natural hollow or sinus within the body)

Meronyms (parts of "nasopharynx"):

faucial tonsil; palatine tonsil; tonsil; tonsilla (either of two masses of lymphatic tissue one on each side of the oral pharynx)

Holonyms ("nasopharynx" is a part of...):

pharynx; throat (the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone)

Derivation:

nasopharyngeal (of or relating to or located near the nasopharynx)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Pharyngeal cancer includes cancer of the nasopharynx (the upper part of the throat behind the nose), the oropharynx (the middle part of the pharynx), and the hypopharynx (the bottom part of the pharynx).

(Pharyngeal cancer, NCI Dictionary)

A benign or malignant neoplasm that affects the nasopharynx, oropharynx, or hypopharynx.

(Pharyngeal Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

N. sicca is found in the nasopharynx, saliva, and sputum of humans, but is also an opportunistic pathogen.

(Neisseria sicca, NCI Thesaurus)

N. polysaccharea is commensal in the nasopharynx of infants and children and is considered nonpathogenic.

(Neisseria polysaccharea, NCI Thesaurus)

N. lactamica is commensal in the human nasopharynx, commonly isolated from children, and is rarely pathogenic.

(Neisseria lactamica, NCI Thesaurus)

N. mucosa is commensal in the human nasopharynx and is rarely pathogenic.

(Neisseria mucosa, NCI Thesaurus)

An aggressive variant of squamous cell carcinoma that arises from the nasopharynx.

(Nasopharyngeal Basaloid Squamous Cell Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

C. ulcerans is commensal to the animal and human nasopharynx, but toxin producing strains can cause diphtherial-like illness.

(Corynebacterium ulcerans, NCI Thesaurus)

It serves to ventilate pressure differences between the middle ear and nasopharynx.

(Eustachian Tube, NCI Thesaurus)

C. pseudodiphtheriticum is commensal in the nasopharynx and is known to cause lower respiratory infections and endocarditis.

(Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum, NCI Thesaurus)