pectoralis

American  

[pek-tuh-ral-is, -rey-lis, -rah-] / ˌpɛk təˈræl ɪs, -ˈreɪ lɪs, -ˈrɑ- /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

pectorales

1. either of two muscles on each side of the upper and anterior part of the thorax, the action of the larger pectoralis major assisting in drawing the shoulder forward and rotating the arm inward, and the action of the smaller pectoralis minor assisting in drawing the shoulder downward and forward.

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Etymology

Origin of pectoralis

< Latin pectorālis; pectoral

Example Sentences

Another movement that uses a “T” strap stretches the pectoralis minor muscle, a relatively small muscle in the chest that gets a heavy workout from stroking into a wave.

From Washington Times • Jan. 31, 2015

Anibal Sanchez went on the disabled list with a major right pectoralis strain and isn't expected to return until next month.

From Reuters • Aug. 16, 2014

The large muscle on the chest, the pectoralis major, is an example of a convergent muscle because it converges on the greater tubercle of the humerus via a tendon.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The two axial muscles are the pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Pachycephala gutturalis, VIG. and HORSF. —————— inornata, GOULD.? —————— pectoralis, VIG. and HORSF. —————— rufogularis, GOULD.

From Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Complete by Eyre, Edward John