clavicle

American  

[klav-i-kuhl] / ˈklæv ɪ kəl /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

• clavicles
  plural

1. a bone of the pectoral arch.

2. (in humans) either of two slender bones, each articulating with the sternum and a scapula and forming the anterior part of a shoulder; collarbone.

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clavicle British  

/ kləˈvɪkjʊlə, kləˈvɪkjʊˌleɪt, ˈklævɪkəl /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: collarbone.  either of the two bones connecting the shoulder blades with the upper part of the breastbone

2. the corresponding structure in other vertebrates

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clavicle Scientific  

/ klăv′ĭ-kəl /

1. Either of two slender bones that extend from the upper part of the sternum (breastbone) to the shoulder.

2. Also called collarbone

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clavicular
  adjective
• claviculate
  adjective
• subclavicular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clavicles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of clavicle

1605–15; < Medieval Latin clāvicula collarbone, Latin: tendril, door-bolt, little key, equivalent to clāvi ( s ) key + -cula -cule ¹

Explanation

The clavicle, more commonly known as the collarbone, connects your shoulder blade to you sternum. The clavicle is the only long horizontal bone in the body (all the other long bones are vertical, such as those in the arms and legs). It evolved to provide a structural support for the arms, and also to serve as protection around blood vessels and nerves in that part of the body. The clavicles of birds are Y-shaped and, on a holiday turkey, are also called the "wishbone."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clavicle clavicles

On the three-year weekly chart, the stock appears to be carving out what could become the right clavicle of a larger bearish head-and-shoulders formation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

"Barrie McDermott dived on top of me and I popped my clavicle joint," Davies recalls.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025

Starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was placed on injured reserve Monday after suffering a fractured clavicle during Sunday’s 33-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025

Or when Polk dislocated his clavicle on the first play of the 2021 season, was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery and returned nine games later.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2023

One day, as I am polishing an ornately decorated serving spoon, Mrs. Nielsen points at her clavicle and says, without looking at me, “We could clean that up for you, if you like.”

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

For example, a fall with the arms outstretched causes the force to be transmitted to the clavicles, which can break if the force is excessive.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

If the ending of this book does not leave you with tears pooling down in your clavicles, you are a stronger person than I am.

From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2019

I recently read an article in a fashion magazine advising women to wear low-cut dresses so as to show off … their clavicles.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 21, 2016

Peat cutters occasionally churn up ancient mandibles, clavicles, or entire cadavers that have been preserved for millennia.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 9, 2015

Organs which are rudimentary, such as the clavicles in the ostrich and the nictitating membrane in man, bear witness to the unity of plan.

From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell