Uvula

The uvula is the little piece of flesh hanging on the end of the palate, where it meets the throat at the back of the mouth. It is derived from the Latin meaning "grape". The uvula plays an important role in the creation of a human voice sound especially the creation of guttural sounds. It functions in tandem with the back of the throat, the palate, and air coming up from the lungs to create a number of guttural and other sounds.

Consonants pronounced with the uvula do not appear in English; however, languages such as French, Arabic, Hebrew and Ubykh use uvular consonants to varying degrees. Certain languages in Africa also use the uvula to produce click consonants.

The uvula has also contributed to snoring or heavy breathing during sleep; having an elongated uvula can cause vibrations which lead to the snoring. In some cases, this can lead to sleep apnea. This can be treated by removal of the uvula or part of the uvula if necessary. Splitting of the uvula occurs infrequently but is the most common form of mouth and nose area cleavage among newborns (roughly 2% of infants have this bifid or split uvula).

Today, the uvula has also become something that people pierce. However, uvula piercings are very dangerous, and only a small amount of people have had this procedure.

Cartoons often feature the uvula when characters yawn or open their mouth wide. Screaming animations often show the uvula in a wiggling motion. Some cartoons have the uvula serve as a punching bag - for a humorous effect.