Why adams apple called adams

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. Matt E. Vijin Paulraj Vijin Paulraj 5 5 gold badges 12 12 silver badges 23 23 bronze badges. Hi Vijin. The second question is not really relevant to the first. The second question is not a good style of question for Stack Exchange, as it just requests a list. I can't think of a way to write the question so it has a single definitive answer.

It would be better to find a website about the body and ask there. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer. Barrie England Barrie England k 10 10 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Whatever the reason the medical writers had for calling the laryngeal protuberance a "pomegranate," it's likely that European writers saw that designation in its Latin translation, pomum granatum , and then applied the synonymous Latin pomum Adami to the same body part.

The author of a late 16th century anatomical work reports that both pomegranate and Adam's apple were being used in the common language to refer to the larynx: "…partem protuberantem, que malum granatum et pomum Adami barbaris dicitur constituit. Proving that making up stories to explain word origins is nothing new, we have year-old explanations that mirror the Internet's current batch.

An explanation by one John Purcell in goes as follows:. To which we say: No, Mr. Purcell, it's called an Adam's apple because the Latin term that translates to English as "Adam's apple" used to be a term for a pomegranate. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Log in Sign Up. It's not the reason you think. More Words At Play. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. Time Traveler.