Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ

A.Word.A.Day--hyoid

hyoid (HIE-oid) adjective

Of or relating to the hyoid bone, a U-shaped bone at the base of the tongue that supports the muscles of the tongue.

noun

The hyoid bone.

[New Latin hyoides, the hyoid bone, from Greek huoeides, shaped like the letter upsilon : hu, name of the letter upsilon + -oeides, -oid.]

"Even the discovery in Israel a decade ago of a Neanderthal skeleton with a large hyoid bone, which is in the throat and associated with speech, had not settled the issue of Neanderthal speech." John Noble Wilford, Early man had the ability to speak, The Dallas Morning News, 4 May 1998.

This week's theme: words for miscellany.

X-Bonus