xiphisternum

[ zif-uh-stur-nuh m ]

/ ˌzɪf əˈstɜr nəm /

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).

Nearby words

xinjiang uygur, xinjiang uygur autonomous region, xinxiang, xipe, xiphi-, xiphisternum, xipho-, xiphoid, xiphoid process, xiphoiditis, xiphosuran

Origin of xiphisternum

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

Related forms

xiph·i·ster·nal, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for xiphisternum

The xiphisternum generally ends in an 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
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

Between the last sternebra and the xiphisternum two pairs articulate.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for xiphisternum

xiphisternum

/ (ˌzɪfɪˈstɜːnəm) /

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 forms

xiph′i•ster′nal adj.