What does "syrinx" mean?
A set of panpipes.
Syrinx
/ˈsɪɹɪŋks/ name, noun
name, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A set of panpipes.
- Grammar: syrinx is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: panpipe, alveolus, apex, avian sound organ.
- Useful contrasts: larynx, normal cord.
- Usage evidence: The truly remarkable feature of sound production by birds is that the two sides of the syrinx can act independently.
How to use "syrinx"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "syrinx" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "syrinx" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "syrinx" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
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3. Confirm with context
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A set of panpipes.
"[T]he Syrinx might give occaſion to the bagpipe, by leading the vvay to its invention; for it vvas certainly very natural, both for eaſe in playing, and for the ſaving of breath, and even for the health and ſafety of the performer's lungs, to contrive a method of conveying vvind to the ſeveral pipes by means of bellovvs."
- 2 the vocal organ of a bird wordnet
- 3 Chiefly in the plural: a narrow channel cut in rock, especially in Ancient Egyptian burial chambers. broadly
"And novv vvhen the people of all ſorts came flocking to the Court, in a tumultuous manner, Agathocles [grandson of Agathocles of Syracuse], taking the King vvith him, vvent and hid himſelf, in a place called Syringes, vvhich vvas a gallery or vvalk, vvhich had every vvay three vvalls and gates to paſſe, before one could come unto it."
- 4 a primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes bound together wordnet
- 5 Any of several abnormal tube-shaped structures in the body, especially a rare, fluid-filled neuroglial cavity in the brain stem or within the spinal cord. broadly
"The division of fluid-filled cavities, or syrinxes, into those lined with ependyma (hydromyelia) and those not so lined (syringomyelia) is probably somewhat artificial."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The voice organ in birds, located at or near where the trachea and the bronchi join. broadly
"This tube is named the Windpipe, Trachea, or Aspera-arteria; […] its lower extremity, or the part at which it bifurcates, is the Lower Larynx, or the Syrinx. Besides acting as a pipe to the lungs, it is also the organ of the voice, the air in passing through it causing its membranes so to vibrate, and being so acted upon by the muscles attached to it, as to give rise to the various cries and notes emitted by birds, although the palate, the tongue, and the mandibles also operate in modifying the sounds thus produced."
Proper Noun
- 1 An Arcadian nymph, changed into a reed Greek
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
larynxnormal cord
Example
"The truly remarkable feature of sound production by birds is that the two sides of the syrinx can act independently."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "syrinx"?
Common synonyms include: panpipe, alveolus, apex, avian sound organ, avian vocal organ, back.
How do you use "syrinx" in a sentence?
The truly remarkable feature of sound production by birds is that the two sides of the syrinx can act independently.
How do you pronounce "syrinx"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪɹɪŋks/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Learned borrowing from Latin sȳrinx (“reed; reed pipe, panpipes”), from Ancient Greek σῦριγξ (sûrinx, “panpipes; pipe-shaped object”), from Pre-Greek. Doublet of syringe. The plural form syringes is a learned borrowing from Latin sȳringes.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin Sȳrinx, from Ancient Greek Σῦρῐγξ (Sûrĭnx).