Relating to or affecting the esophagus, the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Used in medical contexts to describe conditions, procedures, or anatomy of this digestive organ.
From Greek 'oisophagos', combining 'oiso' (future of 'pherein', to carry) and 'phagein' (to eat), literally meaning 'what will carry food'. The term entered medical Latin and then English in the 17th century as anatomical knowledge advanced.
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