pectoral girdle


noun
  1. (in vertebrates) a bony or cartilaginous arch supporting the forelimbs.

  2. Also called shoulder girdle. (in humans) the bony arch formed by the clavicles, or collarbones, and scapulas, or shoulder blades.

Origin of pectoral girdle

1
First recorded in 1885–90
  • Also called pectoral arch .

Words Nearby pectoral girdle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pectoral girdle in a sentence

  • The paired fins are fan-like, and the pectoral girdle is attached to the hinder part of the skull.

    The Sea Shore | William S. Furneaux
  • Owen's reasons for considering the pectoral girdle and the fore-limb part of the occipital vertebra are as follows.

    Form and Function | E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
  • These spines are really enormous dermal fin-rays; the pectoral fin-spine is articulated to the pectoral girdle.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The pectoral girdle consists almost entirely of dermal clavicular bones.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The pectoral girdle includes both membrane and cartilage bones.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for pectoral girdle

pectoral girdle

noun
  1. a skeletal support to which the front or upper limbs of a vertebrate are attached

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