Definition of "hyoid" [hy•oid]

• Of or relating to the hyoid bone. (adjective)
• The hyoid bone. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Under the lower jaw is a little horseshoe shaped bone called the hyoid bone, because it is shaped like the Greek letter upsilon (Υ)."
• "A small bone in the neck of the skeletal remains recovered in the Chandra Levy investigation had been broken, but a Smithsonian expert who examined the bone, known as the hyoid, testified Tuesday afternoon that it was impossible to say how the fracture occurred."
• "Finally, a tendon-like filament called the hyoid encompasses the woodpecker's skull and helps dissipate vibration, while also supporting the tongue and throat."