pectoral girdle

noun

1. (in vertebrates) a bony or cartilaginous arch supporting the forelimbs.

2. Also called shoulder girdle. (in humans) the bony arch formed by the clavicles, or collarbones, and scapulas, or shoulder blades.

pectoral girdle

noun

1. a skeletal support to which the front or upper limbs of a vertebrate are attached

Word History and Origins

Origin of pectoral girdle¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Fast forward 100 million years, and fish called placoderms swam the seas, with jaws and a primitive “shoulder” or pectoral girdle supporting paired front fins.

Read more on Science Magazine

They also used measurements of mosasaurs' pectoral girdles from other studies to come up with their hypothesis.

Read more on Fox News

In ray-finned fish, such as catfish, the pectoral girdle is directly attached to the skull and retracts when suction feeding occurs.

Read more on National Geographic

For example, "the bones in the pectoral girdle — the bones that support the fins — changed their shape," she says.

Read more on The Verge

Apparently, then, there is not sufficient reason to infer that this Jurassic frog had a pectoral girdle comparable with the modern firmisternal type.

Read more on Project Gutenberg