posterior cricoarytenoid muscle

• posterior cricoarytenoid, cricoarytenoideus posterior

posterior cricoarytenoid muscle (plural posterior cricoarytenoid muscles)

1. (anatomy) A muscle of the larynx that arises from the posterior surface of the lamina of the cricoid cartilage, inserts into the posterior of the process of the arytenoid cartilage, and widens the opening of the vocal cords.

   Coordinate term: lateral cricoarytenoid muscle

• “cricoarytenoid”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.