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Omohyoid: anatomy, location and function

A thin infrahyoid strap muscle with two bellies joined by an intermediate tendon. Depresses and retracts the hyoid bone after swallowing and steadies it during speech.

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Highlighted in the model: Omohyoid. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Omohyoid at a glance

What it is
A thin infrahyoid strap muscle with two bellies joined by an intermediate tendon.
Location
The inferior belly arises from the superior border of the scapula near the suprascapular notch; the superior belly inserts onto the lower border of the body of the hyoid bone. The intermediate tendon is held to the clavicle by a fascial sling.
Function
Depresses and retracts the hyoid bone after swallowing and steadies it during speech.
Body system
Muscular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA13349 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Innervation: ansa cervicalis (C1–C3); the superior belly gets C1 fibers from the superior root
  • Its superior belly divides the anterior triangle of the neck, and its inferior belly divides the posterior triangle

Structures next to the omohyoid

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Omohyoid (FMA13349). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §11.2 Naming Skeletal Muscles. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.