definitions

floating rib

noun Anatomy.

one member of the two lowest pairs of ribs, which are attached neither to the sternum nor to the cartilages of other ribs.

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Nearby words

floating island, floating kidney, floating partition, floating point, floating policy, floating rib, floating screed, floating spleen, floating stock, floating supply, floating vote

Origin of floating rib

First recorded in 1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for floating rib

floating rib

noun

any rib of the lower two pairs of ribs in man, which are not attached to the breastbone
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

Medicine definitions for floating rib

floating rib

n.

Any of the two lowest pairs of ribs with no anterior attachment to the sternum.vertebral rib
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.