mesothorax

American  

[mez-uh-thawr-aks, -thohr-, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˈθɔr æks, -ˈθoʊr-, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

noun

• mesothoraxes,
  plural
• mesothoraces
  plural

1. the middle segment of the three divisions of the thorax of an insect, bearing the second pair of legs and the first pair of wings.

---

mesothorax British  

/ ˌmɛsəʊˈθɔːræks, ˌmɛsəʊθɔːˈræsɪk /

noun

1. the middle segment of the thorax of an insect, bearing the second pair of walking legs and the first pair of wings See also prothorax metathorax

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mesothoracic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mesothoraces
  plural
• mesothoraxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mesothorax

First recorded in 1820–30; meso- + thorax

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mesothorax

Wings.—Two pairs of wings are present in the vast majority of insects, borne respectively on the mesothorax and metathorax.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various

On either side we count nine stigmata, set as before on the mesothorax and the first eight abdominal segments.

From The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos

Among the longhorn beetles, the prothorax scrapes over a median file on the mid-dorsal aspect of the mesothorax.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various

The old metathorax is replaced by another mesothorax thrust in between the normal mesothorax and the abdomen.

From A Critique of the Theory of Evolution by Thomas Hunt Morgan

Mesepisterna: in Odonata,- the oblique lateral pieces of mesothorax, meeting dorsally in a ridge.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith