gullet

noun

gul·​let ˈgə-lət 

1

: esophagus

broadly : throat

2

: an invagination of the protoplasm in various protozoans (such as a paramecium) that sometimes functions in the intake of food

3

: the space between the tips of adjacent saw teeth

Examples of gullet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In one example, an individual bird was decapitated and had a corncob placed in its gullet. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Nov. 2024

The majestic bird made Central Park an impromptu restaurant recently, settling in a grassy area to dine on its latest catch, which happened to be the rat stuffed in its gullet. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024

Eventually, a freaky, spider-like facehugger will hatch from an egg and, true to its name, latch onto a host’s face and force an embryo down their unwilling gullets. —Scottie Andrew, CNN, 16 Aug. 2024

Your family of otters may already be half-digested in a crocodile’s gullet, but what about writing a horror movie for kids? —Remy Blumenfeld, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English golet, from Anglo-French, diminutive of gule throat, from Latin gula — more at glutton

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

gullet

noun

gul·​let ˈgəl-ət 

1

a

: the tube that leads from the back of the mouth to the stomach : esophagus

b

: throat sense 1

2

: a tubular structure of various protozoans (as a paramecium) that is used especially to take in food

Medical Definition

gullet

noun

gul·​let ˈgəl-ət 

1

: esophagus

broadly : throat

2

: an invagination of the protoplasm in various protozoans (as a paramecium) that sometimes functions in the intake of food