Adam The Apple

[Melany Odeh]

TheAdam's apple is the protrusion in the neck formed by the angle of the thyroid cartilage surrounding the larynx, typically visible in men, less frequently in women. The prominence of the Adam's apple increases in some men as a secondary male sex characteristic during puberty.[1]

The topographic structure which is externally visible and colloquially called the "Adam's apple" is caused by an anatomical structure of the thyroid cartilage called the laryngeal prominence or laryngeal protuberance protruding and forming a "bump" under the skin at the front of the throat. All human beings with a normal anatomy have a laryngeal protuberance of the thyroid cartilage. This prominence is typically larger and more externally noticeable in adult males. There are two reasons for this phenomenon. Firstly, the structural size of the thyroid cartilage in males tends to increase during puberty,[2] and the laryngeal protuberance becomes more anteriorly focused. Secondly, the larynx, which the thyroid cartilage partially envelops, increases in size in male subjects during adolescence, moving the thyroid cartilage and its laryngeal protuberance towards the front of the neck. The adolescent development of both the larynx and the thyroid cartilage in males occurs as a result of hormonal changes, especially the normal increase in testosterone production in adolescent males. In females, the laryngeal protuberance sits on the upper edge of the thyroid cartilage, and the larynx tends to be smaller in size, and so the "bump" caused by protrusion of the laryngeal protuberance is much less visible or not discernible.[3] Even so, many women display an externally visible protrusion of the thyroid cartilage, an "Adam's apple", to varying degrees which are usually minor, and this should not normally be viewed as a medical disorder.

The Adam's apple, in relation 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).[4]

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, men get a deeper voice note.[5][6]

While both men and women can possess an Adam's apple, the larger frequency of its appearance in men has led to the perception of the Adam's apple as an indicator of masculinity. As such, transgender women may choose to undergo cosmetic surgery to remove it from their necks, a process known as chondrolaryngoplasty, or colloquially as a "tracheal shave".[7] Transgender men may choose to augment and thereby enlarge the Adam's apple, a process known as masculinization.[8]

The English term "Adam's apple" is a calque of Latin pomum Adami, which is found in European medical texts from as early as 1600.[14] "Adam's Apple" is found in a 1662 English translation of Thomas Bartholin's 1651 work Anatomia.[15]

The 1662 citation includes an explanation for the origin of the phrase: a piece of forbidden fruit was supposedly embedded in the throat of Adam, who according to the Abrahamic religions was the first man:[15] .mw-parser-output .templatequoteoverflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequoteciteline-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0

This etymology is also proposed by Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary.[16] The story is not found in the Bible or other Judeo-Christian or Islamic writings.[17]

Linguist Alexander Gode proposed in 1968 that the Latin phrase pomum Adami (literally: 'Adam's apple') was a mistranslation of the Hebrew "tappuach ha adam meaning 'male bump'".[18] The confusion was supposedly due to the fact that in the Hebrew language the proper name "Adam" (אדם) literally means "man", and the word for "apple", "tapuach", is similar to the word "tafuach" which means "swollen", thus in combination: the swelling of a man.[19][20]

The Adam's apple is about the same size in people assigned male at birth (AMAB) and those assigned female at birth (AFAB) until puberty. Once puberty starts, hormones (especially testosterone) in people AMAB may cause their vocal cords to grow bigger than those in people AFAB. The thyroid cartilage may therefore stick out a bit more in people who are AMAB to protect these larger vocal cords.

An obvious Adam's apple is therefore sometimes considered a secondary sex characteristic of males. A secondary sex characteristic is a physical feature that may show up differently based on your sex and that usually becomes obvious at sexual maturity (puberty). However, thyroid cartilage size varies from person to person. Often, people AMAB have larger, more obvious Adam's apples than people AFAB, but not always. For instance, some people AFAB, especially those who are very thin, may have an obvious Adam's apple.

On the outside of your throat, your Adam's apple looks a bit like a small, rounded apple under the skin in the front, and it may stand out a bit. Inside your throat, your thyroid cartilage is made up of two plates that come together to form a V-shaped notch in the center over your vocal cords.

The name "Adam's apple" likely comes from the Judeo-Christian story where Adam ate an apple from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had forbidden Adam from eating the fruit, so as punishment, God caused the apple to become stuck in Adam's throat.

Some doctors also think that the growth of your vocal cords and Adam's apple at puberty may cause your voice to deepen. This happens in all people, regardless of sex assignment at birth, although there may be more growth in this area in people AMAB. However, no evidence has confirmed this yet.

Having an obvious Adam's apple may cause some people anxiety and distress, as it is popularly thought to be a sign of being male. Therefore, some people may choose to have cosmetic surgery to make their Adam's apple smaller or larger, depending on their personal preferences.

One additional note: there's another theory that says that pomum Adami is a translation of a Medieval Hebrew phrase tappūăḥ ha'ādhām, meaning "protuberance on a man," and that this phrase was reinterpreted as "Adam's apple." We're afraid that this theory, which dates to the 19th century, has no basis in fact: no such expression with this meaning has been located in pre-Modern Hebrew.

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You're at the high school baseball game with your friends, and you see your big brother's friend Justin in the dugout drinking from a water bottle. With every sip he takes, a big bump moves up and down on the front of his neck.

When kids hit puberty, their bodies and minds go through tons of changes. One change that every kid can count on is lots of body parts growing and changing shape. Almost every part gets in on the growing action, including the larynx (say: LAIR-inks).

Another name for the larynx is the voice box, and it's in the throat. The larynx is what gives you your voice, whether you're talking, laughing, whispering, singing, or shouting. You can find your larynx by touching the front of your throat and humming. When you feel vibrations under your fingers, you've found it!

When the larynx grows larger during puberty, it sticks out at the front of the throat. This is what's called an Adam's apple. Everyone's larynx grows during puberty, but a girl's larynx doesn't grow as much as a boy's does. That's why boys have Adam's apples. Most girls don't have Adam's apples, but some do. It's no big deal either way.

But why is it called an Adam's apple? If you think it's called that after the story of the Garden of Eden where Adam ate a piece of the forbidden fruit that got stuck in his throat, you're right. An Adam's apple sometimes looks like a small, rounded apple just under the skin in the front of the throat.

This larger larynx also gives boys deeper voices. Actually, girls' voices get a little bit deeper as their larynxes get larger, too. But because boys' larynxes grow so much more, it makes their voices deeper than girls' voices.

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