noun
also oe·soph·a·gus ə̇ˈsäfəgəs, ēˈs-
( plural esopha·gi also oesopha·gi -ˌgī, -ˌjī, -ˌgē)
Etymology: Middle English ysophagus, from Greek oisophagos, from oiso- (from oisein, suppletive future infinitive of pherein to carry) + -phagos, from phagein to eat — more at bear , baksheesh
1. : the tube that leads from the pharynx to the stomach being composed of an outer muscular coat containing both longitudinal and circular fibers, an areolar coat, and an inner mucous coat lined with a stratified pavement epithelium on the surface of which the esophageal glands open, and being in man about nine inches long; passing down the neck between the trachea and the spinal column and behind the left bronchus where it pierces the diaphragm slightly to the left of the middle line and joins the cardiac end of the stomach — see digestion illustration
2. : pharynx 2