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).

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of xiphisternum

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

OTHER WORDS FROM xiphisternum

xiph·i·ster·nal, adjective

Words nearby xiphisternum

xinjiang uygur, xinjiang uygur autonomous region, xinxiang, xipe, xiphi-, xiphisternum, xipho-, xiphoid, xiphoid process, xiphoiditis, xiphosuran
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for xiphisternum

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

Medical definitions for xiphisternum

xiphisternum
[ zĭf′ĭ-stûr′nəm ]

n.

xiphoid process

Other words from xiphisternum

xiph′i•ster′nal adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.