laryngeal nerve

noun

: either of two branches of the vagus nerve supplying the larynx:

a

: one that arises from the ganglion of the vagus situated below the jugular foramen in front of the transverse processes of the first two cervical vertebrae and that passes down the neck to supply the cricothyroid muscle

called also superior laryngeal nerve

b

: one that arises below the larynx, loops under the subclavian artery on the right side and under the arch of the aorta on the left, and returns upward to the larynx to supply all the muscles of the thyroid except the cricothyroid

called also inferior laryngeal nerve, recurrent laryngeal nerve, recurrent nerve

see inferior laryngeal nerve sense 2