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

Last week recorded two doji candles, and could be forming the right clavicle in a bullish inverse head and shoulders pattern.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

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

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025

Ahkello Witherspoon’s fractured clavicle is expected to keep him out for about 12 weeks, posing a significant blow to the Rams secondary ahead of showdown vs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025

A fractured right clavicle ended his sophomore season, before he separated his right AC joint as a junior in 2021.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

Her hand flutters to her clavicle, to the silver chain around her neck, the claddagh charm—those tiny hands clasping a crowned heart: love, loyalty, friendship—a never-ending path that leads away from home and circles back.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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

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

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 9, 2015

The epicoracoidal cartilages overlap in the usual arciferal manner, except that they are fused anteriorly between the slender clavicles.

From Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca by William E. Duellman