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sternocleidomastoid

American

[stur-noh-klahy-duh-mas-toid] / ˌstɜr noʊˌklaɪ dəˈmæs tɔɪd /

adjective

of, relating to, or involving the sternum, the clavicle, and the mastoid process.

noun

a thick muscle on each side of the neck, the action of which assists in bending the head and neck forward and sideways.

Etymology

Origin of sternocleidomastoid

1820–30; sterno- + Greek kleido-, combining form of kleís key, clavicle + mastoid

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.