Piriform

Piriform, sometimes pyriform, means pear-shaped. It may refer to:

Anatomy

• Piriform aperture, more commonly known as anterior nasal aperture
• Piriform cortex, a region in the brain
• Piriformis muscle, a gluteal muscle
• Piriformis syndrome, a neuromuscular disorder in which the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve
• Piriform sinus, piriform recess or piriform fossa, synonyms referring to one of the four sites of the hypopharynx
• The (notionally) pear-like female body shape (gynoid shape)
• Pear-shaped obesity (adiposity highest on hips and thighs), in contrast with apple-shaped obesity (central adiposity, abdominal obesity)

Other uses

• Piriform Software, a software company
• Piriform, in hydrostatic equilibrium
• Pyriform, a teapot shape introduced in the 18th century