APA Dictionary of Psychology

n. (pl. larynges) the muscular and cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea (windpipe) and below the tongue that contains the vocal cords. Movements of the cartilages in the walls of the larynx, controlled by the laryngeal muscles, alter the tension of the vocal cords and change the frequency of the sound (thus, the pitch) emitted by the cords when they vibrate. —laryngeal adj.