An organ of the neck of mammals situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the oesophagus (or esophagus). It is involved in breath control and protection of the trachea, and, because it houses the vocal cords, sound production.
User Defined Definitions
"a cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea; contains elastic vocal cords that are the source of the vocal tone in speech"