# What is the epiglottis?

It is called the epiglottis. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a leaf-shaped flap of cartilage.

## What it means

- A leaf-shaped flap of cartilage.
- Tips down over the entrance of the larynx during swallowing.
- Prevents food and drink from entering the airway.

## Action steps

1. At the back of the tongue, behind the hyoid bone.
2. Projects up behind the base of the tongue.
3. Attached to the front wall of the larynx.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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