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Definition

noun

Latin for hyoid bone, the bone shaped like a U and located in the throat just below the tongue

Supplement

Human hyoid bone generally has three major components:

• the body of the hyoid
• a pair of greater cornu
• a pair of lesser cornu

Word origin: from the Greek word hyoeides meaning "shaped like the letter upsilon" (υ)

Synonym(s):

• lingual bone
• tongue bone