sternal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sternal
From the New Latin word sternālis, dating back to 1750–60. See sternum, -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One fossil revealed a segmented cartilaginous sternum, along with sternal ribs, intermediate ribs, and connections linking the ribcage to the shoulder girdle.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
But recovering from sternal wound infections can take months, he noted, and “if you have a stroke, that can affect you for a long time.”
From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2024
Why would the guy recoil from an electrode sticker but not a sternal rub?
From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2015
And with all patients on "sternal precautions" after the surgery, they need someone to drive them to appointments, including weekly heart biopsies for a month post-transplant.
From US News • Apr. 1, 2015
A more interesting feature in the ribs consists in the presence behind the sternum, which is shorter than the corresponding bone in most birds, of median sternal ribs.
From Dragons of the Air An Account of Extinct Flying Reptiles by Seeley, H. G.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
