xiphoid

[ zif-oid ]

/ ˈzɪf ɔɪd /

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adjective

Anatomy, Zoology. sword-shaped; ensiform.

noun

the xiphisternum.

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Origin of xiphoid

1740–50; <New Latin xiphoīdēs<Greek xiphoeidḗs swordlike, equivalent to xíph(os) sword + -oeidēs-oid

OTHER WORDS FROM xiphoid

post·xiph·oid, adjective

Words nearby xiphoid

xi particle, Xipe, xiphi-, xiphisternum, xipho-, xiphoid, xiphoiditis, xiphoid process, xiphosuran, x-irradiate, Xixón

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use xiphoid in a sentence

The xiphoid cartilage is extraordinarily elongated into thin strips, which reach the pelvis and return.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
It is usually accompanied with painful sensations near the xiphoid cartilage or behind the sternum, or sometimes in the pharynx.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II|Various
The xiphoid appendix, which is cartilaginous, is attached to the extremity of a long process of the last bone of the sternum.
Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer
Two little girls were united from the xiphoid cartilage to the umbilicus.
Curiosities of Medical Experience|J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen

British Dictionary definitions for xiphoid

xiphoid

/ (ˈzɪfɔɪd) /

adjective

biology shaped like a sword

of or relating to the xiphisternum

noun

Also called: xiphoid process Another name for xiphisternum

Word Origin for xiphoid

C18: from New Latin, from Greek, from xiphos sword + eidos form

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 xiphoid

xiphoid

[ zĭf′oid′ ]

adj.

Sword-shaped.