<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Anatomical terminology (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> The thyroid cartilage is the largest of the nine cartilages that make up the laryngeal skeleton, the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx . It does not completely encircle the larynx; only the cricoid cartilage does . </P> <P> The thyroid cartilage is a hyaline cartilage structure that sits in front of the larynx and above the thyroid gland . The cartilage is composed of two halves, which meet in the middle at a peak called the laryngeal prominence, also called the Adam's apple . In the midline above the prominence is the superior thyroid notch . A counterpart notch at the bottom of the cartilage is called the inferior thyroid notch . </P> <P> The two halves of the cartilage that make out the outer surfaces extend obliquely to cover the sides of the trachea . The posterior edge of each half articulates with the cricoid cartilage inferiorly at a joint called the cricothyroid joint . The most posterior part of the cartilage also has two projections upwards and downwards . The upper projection is called the superior horn (cornu), and the lower is called the inferior horn . The superior horn is long and narrow, backward, and medialward, and ends in a conical extremity, which gives attachment to the lateral thyrohyoid ligament . The inferior horn is short and thick; it is directed downward, with a slight inclination forward and medialward, and presents, on the medial side of its tip, a small oval articular facet for articulation with the side of the cricoid cartilage . </P>

What is the layman's term for the thyroid cartilage