This small bump, situated on the inferior surface of the basi-occipital just anterior to the foramen magnum, is the attachment site for the fibrous raphe of the pharyngeal constrictor.

In the second century Galen described the common opening of the esophagus and trachea as the pharynx. This is derived from the Greek pharangos meaning a cleft, gulley, or ravine. Here it combines with the Latin tuber meaning a lump and the diminutive suffix -cle denoting a small lump.

Tuberculum pharyngeum

Tubercule pharyngien