Throat
/θroʊt/noun
The front part of the neck, including the passage for air, food, and sound.
Did you know?Old English þrōt meant a swelling, lump, or throat, and it’s related to the idea of a bulge or protrusion rather than a mystical “voice center.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tere-
“to rub, turn, bore; a root behind several words for turning or pushing through”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*þrūtō
“swelling, throat, protruding mass”
Old English
EN
þrōt
“throat; swelling, lump”
Middle English
EN
throte, throote
“throat”
Modern English
EN
throat
“the passage in the neck for air and food”