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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

false ribs

To make sure, we feel the abdomen near to the line of the false ribs.

From The Dog by Dinks

The five lower pairs are named false ribs.

From Health Lessons Book 1 by Alvin Davison

With false ribs made from oars we strengthened the boats and put them in condition for another day's hammering.

From A Canyon Voyage The Narrative of the Second Powell Expedition down the Green-Colorado River from Wyoming, and the Explorations on Land, in the Years 1871 and 1872 by Frederick Samuel Dellenbaugh

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 James Fenimore Cooper

However, notwithstanding the little apparatus of false ribs, which connects the vertebrae of the neck, and seems to impede the lateral movement, crocodiles can turn easily when they please.

From Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America, During the Year 1799-1804 — Volume 2 by Alexander von Humboldt