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false ribs

British  

plural noun

  1. any of the lower five pairs of ribs in man, attached behind to the thoracic vertebrae but in front not attached directly to the breastbone See floating rib

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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For which reason they are called false ribs.

From The History of a Mouthful of Bread And its effect on the organization of men and animals by Macé, Jean

The five lower pairs are named false ribs.

From Health Lessons Book 1 by Davison, Alvin

Stinging pains under the false ribs on the left side which grow on lying down, on external pressure and on deep respiration with flashes of heat.

From New, Old, and Forgotten Remedies: Papers by Many Writers by Anshutz, Edward Pollock

It is characterized by an elongated prominence which, starting from the iliac spine, is directed obliquely downwards and forwards, to terminate near the cartilaginous border of the false ribs.

From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard

Protected by the massive timbers and false ribs, the bilge of the ship resisted the pressure; and as, under such circumstances, something must yield, luckily nothing but the attraction of gravitation was overcome.

From The Monikins by Cooper, James Fenimore