thoracic
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of thoracic
1650–60; < Medieval Latin thōrācicus < Greek thōrākikós. See thorac-, -ic
Explanation
Thoracic is a medical word for things pertaining to the thorax area of your body: your chest. You’re likely to see the word thoracic in biology class. The thorax is your chest: the area between your neck and abdomen. Therefore, this area is the thoracic region, and that word can be used for issues dealing with this area. Certain exercises are thoracic because they strengthen your chest muscles. Your pectoral muscles are in the thoracic area. Your heart is the most important part of the thoracic area. If you have thoracic pains, you should see a doctor.
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.
“You can heal from a lung tumor,” Dr. Lorenzo Spaggiari, a thoracic surgical oncologist at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, told the New York Times.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
The operation will be performed by the Gemelli's thoracic surgery team, led by Stefano Margaritora, the Vatican said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
The discovery suggests that sophisticated thoracic anatomy had evolved surprisingly early in crocodylomorph history.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Adam Schoenfeld, a thoracic oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, says that if the results hold up outside of China, it could be a genuine breakthrough.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
But even the segmentation genes have to have their masters: How does the second segment of the fly thorax “know” to be a thoracic segment, and not an abdominal segment?
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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