xiphisternum

[zif-uh-stur-nuh m]

noun, plural xiph·i·ster·na [zif-uh-stur-nuh] /ˌzɪf əˈstɜr nə/. Anatomy.

the lowermost of the three segments of the sternum.Compare gladiolus(def 2), manubrium(def 2a).

Origin of xiphisternum

1855–60; < New Latin xiphi- (combining form of Greek xíphos sword) + sternum sternum

Related formsxiph·i·ster·nal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for xiphisternum

Historical Examples of xiphisternum

Between the last sternebra and the xiphisternum two pairs articulate.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
The xiphisternum generally ends in an expanded plate of cartilage.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
Further back is the long sternum proper, while last comes the xiphisternum, a broad expanded plate of cartilage.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
The last segment or xiphisternum (fig. 76, 4) is long and narrow, and terminates in a flattened expanded plate of cartilage.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds
In Manis macrura the xiphisternum is drawn out into a pair of cartilaginous processes about nine inches long.
The Vertebrate Skeleton
Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for xiphisternum

xiphisternum

noun plural -na (-nə)

anatomy zoology the cartilaginous process forming the lowermost part of the breastbone (sternum)Also called: xiphoid, xiphoid process

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for xiphisternum

xiphisternum

[zĭf′ĭ-stûr′nəm]

n.

xiphoid process

Related formsxiph′i•ster′nal adj.