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  

/ 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

But the look on her face when she saw me, my emaciated frame, the chemical burn under my clavicle, sour smell I couldn’t mask, told me otherwise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

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

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025

In the season’s sixth game, Burakovsky broke his clavicle when shoved off-balance into the boards by notorious New York Rangers “hit” man Jacob Trouba — again without the Kraken responding.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2024

I could feel the warmth of her hand through my damp shirt, could feel her fingers resting lightly on my clavicle.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

The courtroom had to be evacuated at the precise moment when sleepy jurors’ chins were dropping toward their clavicles, notwithstanding the riveting testimony of FBI automotive forensic specialist Dwight Falkofske.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 10, 2023

The pectoral girdle is composed of the clavicles and the scapulae.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

Recently Vogue declared the cleavage was “over”, noting that celebrities were binning off their deep V gowns, choosing fashion that showcased their clavicles instead.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 15, 2017

That day in Brooklyn, Jackson wore glasses, a plaid shirt open to just below the clavicles and shoes with insouciant laces that looked ready to untie themselves at any moment.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2016

It is also indicated in some cases of fracture of both clavicles.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Alexander Miles