Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Español
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

epiglottis

(eh-pih-GLAH-tis)
The flap that covers the trachea during swallowing so that food does not enter the lungs.
Anatomy of the larynx; drawing shows the epiglottis, supraglottis, glottis, subglottis, and vocal cords. Also shown are the tongue, trachea, and esophagus.Enlarge this image in new window
Anatomy of the larynx. The three parts of the larynx are the supraglottis (including the epiglottis), the glottis (including the vocal cords), and the subglottis.
Search NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms