sternum

[stur-nuh m] /ˈstɜr nəm/
noun, plural sterna
[stur-nuh] /ˈstɜr nə/ (Show IPA), sternums.
1.
Anatomy, Zoology. a bone or series of bones extending along the middle line of the ventral portion of the body of most vertebrates, consisting in humans of a flat, narrow bone connected with the clavicles and the true ribs; breastbone.
2.
the ventral surface of a body segment of an arthropod.
Origin
1660-70; < Neo-Latin < Greek stérnon chest, breastbone
Examples from the web for sternum
  • Its shoulders, wishbone and large sternum resembled those of modern birds.
  • The sternum straps in particular keep things in the right place and the main weight on top of your shoulders.
  • He pumped the heel of his palm against her sternum a few times, but her skin was cool as clay.
  • The treatment is intended to eliminate a tumor behind the sternum.
  • He made it, but the dog whistle around his neck caught on the window and jammed painfully into his sternum.
  • She took up a pair of gardening shears and cut the ribs one by one, snipping them in a wide circle around the sternum.
  • It has a birdlike coracoid and furcula and a keeled sternum for flapping flight.
  • He sustained a fractured sternum and head injuries when his car careened into a wall.
  • Plane through joint between body and xiphoid process of sternum.
  • The junction between the body of the sternum and the xiphoid process is on the level of the tenth thoracic vertebra.
British Dictionary definitions for sternum

sternum

/ˈstɜːnəm/
noun (pl) -na (-nə), -nums
1.
(in man) a long flat vertical bone, situated in front of the thorax, to which are attached the collarbone and the first seven pairs of ribs Nontechnical name breastbone
2.
the corresponding part in many other vertebrates
3.
a cuticular plate covering the ventral surface of a body segment of an arthropod Compare tergum
Derived Forms
sternal, adjective
Word Origin
C17: via New Latin from Greek sternon breastbone
Word Origin and History for sternum
n.

1660s, from Greek sternon "chest, breast, breastbone" (in Homer, only of males), from PIE *stre-to- "to stretch, extend," from a root meaning "flat surface," related to stornynai "to spread out" (see structure (n.)), on the notion of the chest as broad and flat, as opposed to the neck.

sternum in Medicine

sternum ster·num (stûr'nəm)
n. pl. ster·nums or ster·na (-nə)
A long flat bone, articulating with the cartilages of the first seven ribs and with the clavicle, forming the middle part of the anterior wall of the thorax, and consisting of the corpus, manubrium, and xiphoid process. Also called breastbone.

sternum in Science
sternum
  (stûr'nəm)   
A long, flat bone located in the center of the chest, serving as a support for the collarbone and ribs. Also called breastbone. See more at skeleton.
Encyclopedia Article for sternum

in the anatomy of tetrapods (four-limbed vertebrates), elongated bone in the centre of the chest that articulates with and provides support for the clavicles (collarbones) of the shoulder girdle and for the ribs. Its origin in evolution is unclear. A sternum appears in certain salamanders; it is present in most other tetrapods but lacking in legless lizards, snakes, and turtles (in which the shell provides needed support). In birds an enlarged keel develops, to which flight muscles are attached; the sternum of the bat is also keeled as an adaptation for flight

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