sternum
sternum Lexical Profile
sternum Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A long, flat bone located in the center of the anterior thoracic wall in most vertebrates, connecting with the ribs and clavicles to form the front of the rib cage and protect the heart and lungs.
"During the cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, the instructor showed us how to position our hands over the lower half of the sternum."
The thickened ventral plate of steel-like exoskeleton on each segment of the thorax or abdomen of an arthropod.
"The entomologist examined the shape of the beetle's thoracic sternum under a microscope to identify its species."
• Rhymes for sternum
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 17th century from New Latin sternum, from Ancient Greek sternon ('chest' or 'breastbone'), which derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ster- ('to spread out' or 'stiff'), referring to the flat, broad shape of the bone.