Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Zoology The vocal organ of a bird, consisting of thin vibrating muscles at or close to the division of the trachea into the bronchi.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In some of the brachiopods, like Syringothyris, a split tubular structure developed from the deltidial plates, lying within the umbonal region of the ventral valve, and inclosing or forming a passage for the pedicle.
  • Same as Pan's pipes (which see, under pipe).
  • In Egypt. archæol., a narrow and deep rock-cut channel or tunnel forming a characteristic feature of Egyptian tombs of the New Empire.
  • In anatomy, the Eustachian tube.
  • In ornithology, the voice-organ of birds; the lower larynx, situated at or near the bifurcation of the trachea into the bronchi, and serving to modulate the voice, as in singing.
  • In surgery, a fistula.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Mus.) A wind instrument made of reeds tied together; -- called also pandean pipes.
  • noun (Anat.) The lower larynx in birds.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A set of pan-pipes.
  • noun A narrow channel cut in rock, especially in ancient Egyptian tombs.
  • noun zoology The voice organ in birds.
  • noun medicine A rare, fluid-filled neuroglial cavity within the spinal cord or in the brain stem

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the vocal organ of a bird
  • noun a primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes bound together

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin sȳrinx, from Greek sūrinx.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin syrinx, from Ancient Greek σῦριγξ (sŷrinx, "pipe, tube, channel, fistula").

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Examples

  • Charmed with the soothing tones, he endeavoured to reproduce them himself, and after cutting seven of the reeds of unequal length, he joined them together, and succeeded in producing the pipe, which he called the syrinx, in memory of his lost love.

    Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome E.M. Berens

  • The tingling was the result of a growing fluid-filled bubble in his spine called a syrinx, also caused by the constriction.

    Joel Schwartzberg: Head Trip: Who Do You Trust When Your Child's Surgeons Give Conflicting Advice? 2008

  • Many scientific gentlemen have declared that the syrinx is the voice organ of the birds, the elastic margins of the folds or valves being set to vibrating by the projection of the air from the lungs, and thus producing the varied lays we hear in the outdoor concert.

    Our Bird Comrades 1896

  • Tina-Lynn Labutte-Seage, 4, suffers from a syrinx, which is a cyst or cavity that forms within the spinal cord and can result in paralysis.

    canada.com Top Stories 2010

  • Tina-Lynn Labutte-Seage, 4, suffers from a syrinx, which is a cyst or cavity that forms within the spinal cord and can result in paralysis.

    canada.com Top Stories 2010

  • Chehrenama told her that the latest scan had revealed a syrinx and that surgery within the next six months was necessary to prevent "an acute neurological event."

    Woman's crushing headache took years to diagnose Sandra G. Boodman 2010

  • The syrinx tipped the balance: Without surgery White risked hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid inside the skull that can have catastrophic consequences.

    Woman's crushing headache took years to diagnose Sandra G. Boodman 2010

  • The specialist ordered an MRI of White's cervical spine to check for evidence of progression, including a syrinx.

    Woman's crushing headache took years to diagnose Sandra G. Boodman 2010

  • The Charlottesville doctor told her the tests revealed no syrinx and recommended she undergo a repeat MRI in a year.

    Woman's crushing headache took years to diagnose Sandra G. Boodman 2010

  • A patch using a piece of cow heart would be sewn over the expanded opening; this would give the brain more room inside the skull, thereby restoring the proper flow of spinal fluid, eliminating the syrinx and, if all went well, stopping her headaches.

    Woman's crushing headache took years to diagnose Sandra G. Boodman 2010

Comments

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  • What birds have instead of a larynx.

    February 16, 2007

  • See panpipes.

    April 26, 2008

  • Why, it sounds like a thongophone.

    April 26, 2008