Dictionary.com
definitions

xiphisternum

[zif-uh-stur-nuh m]
noun, plural xiph·i·ster·na [zif-uh-stur-nuh] /ˌzɪf əˈstɜr nə/. Anatomy.
  1. 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. 2018

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)
  1. 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
xiphisternum in Medicine

xiphisternum

[zĭf′ĭ-stûr′nəm]
n.
  1. xiphoid process
Related formsxiph′i•ster′nal adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.