Editing Hyoid bone (section)

{{Short description|Bone situated in the neck between the chin and the thyroid cartilage}}
{{Infobox bone
| Name          = Hyoid 
| Latin         = os hyoideum
| Image         = 712 Hyoid Bone.jpg
| Width         =
| Caption       = The '''hyoid bone''', present at the front of the neck, has a body and two sets of horns
| Origins       =
| Insertions    =
| Articulations =
| Precursor     = Second and third [[branchial arch]]<ref>{{EmbryologyUNC|hednk|023}}</ref>
}}
The '''hyoid bone''' ('''lingual bone''' or '''tongue-bone''') ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|aɪ|ɔɪ|d}}<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' 2nd edition, 1989.</ref><ref>[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyoid Entry "hyoid"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229140551/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyoid |date=2011-12-29 }} in ''[http://www.merriam-webster.com/ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922151722/https://www.merriam-webster.com/ |date=2017-09-22 }}''.</ref>) is a [[horseshoe-shaped]] [[bone]] situated in the anterior midline of the [[neck]] between the [[chin]] and the [[thyroid cartilage]].  At rest, it lies between the base of the [[Human mandible|mandible]] and the third [[Cervical vertebrae|cervical vertebra]].

Unlike other bones, the hyoid is only distantly [[Joint|articulated]] to other bones by muscles or ligaments. It is the only bone in the human body that is not connected to any other bones. The hyoid is anchored by muscles from the anterior, posterior and inferior directions, and aids in tongue movement and swallowing. The hyoid bone provides attachment to the muscles of the [[Human mouth#Mouth cavity|floor of the mouth]] and the tongue above, the [[larynx]] below, and the [[epiglottis]] and [[pharynx]] behind.{{Citation needed|date=April 2022}}

Its name is derived {{Etymology|el|hyoeides|shaped like the letter [[upsilon]] (υ)}}.<ref>Dorland illustrated medical dictionary</ref><ref>American heritage dictionary for English language</ref>