The Adam’s apple, or laryngeal prominence, is a feature of the human neck, and is the lump or protrusion that is formed by the angle of the thyroid cartilage surrounding the larynx seen especially in males.
The structure of the Adam’s apple forms a bump under the skin. It is typically larger in adult males, in whom it is usually clearly visible and palpable. In females, the bump is much less visible and is hardly perceived on the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage.
An Adam’s apple is usually a feature of adult males, because its size in males tends to increase considerably during puberty. However, some women also have an Adam’s apple.
The Adam’s apple, in conjunction with the thyroid cartilage which forms it, helps protect the walls and the frontal part of the larynx, including the vocal cords (which are located directly behind it).
Another function of the Adam’s apple is related to the deepening of the voice. During adolescence, the thyroid cartilage grows together with the larynx. Consequently, the laryngeal prominence grows in size mainly in men. Together, a larger soundboard is made up in phonation apparatus and, as a result, the man gets a deeper voice note.
There are two main theories as to the origin of the term “Adam’s apple”. The “Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable” and the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary point at an ancient belief that a piece of forbidden fruit was embedded in the throat of Adam, who according to the Abrahamic religions was the first man. However, neither the Bible nor other Judeo-Christian or Islamic writings mention such a story. In fact, the biblical story does not even specify the type of fruit that Adam ate.
Linguist Alexander Gode claimed that the Latin phrase to designate the laryngeal prominence was very probably translated incorrectly from the beginning. The phrase in Latin was “pomum Adami” (literally: ‘Adam’s apple’). This, in turn, came from the Hebrew “tappuach ha adam” meaning “apple of man”. The confusion lies in the fact that in Hebrew language the proper name “Adam” (אדם) literally means “man”, while the Hebrew word “apple” means “swollen”, thus in combination: the swelling of a man. Proponents of this version contend that the subsequent phrases in Latin and other Romance languages represent a mistranslation from the start.
The medical term “prominentia laryngea” (laryngeal prominence) was introduced by the Basle Nomina Anatomica in 1895.
In the American South, goozle is used colloquially to describe the Adam’s apple, likely derived from guzzle.