superior pharyngeal constrictor

• superior constrictor, constrictor pharyngis superior

superior pharyngeal constrictor (plural superior pharyngeal constrictors)

1. (anatomy) A 4-sided muscle of the pharynx that arises from the posterior and medial parts of the pterygoid plate, from the pterygomandibular raphe, from the alveolar process above the end of the mylohyoid line, and from the side of the tongue, that inserts into the median line at the back of the pharynx, and that acts to constrict part of the pharynx in swallowing.

   Coordinate terms: inferior pharyngeal constrictor, middle pharyngeal constrictor

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