clavicle

clavicle
—clavicular /kleuh vik"yeuh leuhr/, adj. —claviculate /kleuh vik"yeuh layt'/, adj.
/klav"i keuhl/, n. Anat., Zool.
1. a bone of the pectoral arch.
2. (in humans) either of two slender bones, each articulating with the sternum and a scapula and forming the anterior part of a shoulder; collarbone. See diag. under shoulder.
[1605-15; < ML clavicula collarbone, L: tendril, door-bolt, little key, equiv. to clavi(s) key + -cula -CULE1]

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also called  Collarbone,  
 curved anterior bone of the shoulder (pectoral) girdle in vertebrates; it functions as a strut to support the shoulder.

      The clavicle is present in mammals with prehensile forelimbs and in bats, and it is absent in sea mammals and those adapted for running. The wishbone, or furcula, of birds is composed of the two fused clavicles; a crescent-shaped clavicle is present under the pectoral fin of some fish. In man the two clavicles, on either side of the anterior base of the neck, are horizontal, S-curved rods that articulate laterally with the outer end of the shoulder blade (the acromion) to help form the shoulder joint; they articulate medially with the breastbone (sternum). Strong ligaments hold the clavicle in place at either end; the shaft gives attachment to muscles of the shoulder girdle and neck. The clavicle may be congenitally reduced or absent; its robustness varies with degree of muscle development.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Clavicle — Clav i*cle, n. [F. clavicule, fr. L. clavicula a little key, tendril, dim. of clavis key, akin to claudere to shut. See {Close}, and cf. {Clef}.] (Anat.) The collar bone, which is joined at one end to the scapula, or shoulder blade, and at the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • clavicle — 1610s, from M.Fr. clavicule collarbone, also small key, from M.L. clavicula (used c.980 in a translation of Avicenna), from L. clavicula, lit. small key, bolt, dim. of clavis key (see SLOT (Cf. slot) (2)); a loan translation of Gk. kleis key,… …   Etymology dictionary

  • clavicle — [klav′i kəl] n. [Fr clavicule < L clavicula, dim. of clavis, a key: see CLOSE2] the bone that connects the scapula with the sternum; collarbone: see SKELETON clavicular [kla vik′yo͞o lər] adj …   English World dictionary

  • Clavicle — Bone: Clavicle Gray s subject #49 200 MeSH …   Wikipedia

  • Clavicle — The bone extending from the breastbone (sternum) at the base of the front of the neck to the shoulder. * * * A doubly curved long bone that forms part of the shoulder girdle. Its medial end articulates with the manubrium sterni at the… …   Medical dictionary

  • clavicle — n. the collar bone: a long slender curved bone, a pair of which form the front part of the shoulder girdle. Each clavicle articulates laterally with the scapula and medially with the manubrium of the sternum (breastbone). Fracture of the clavicle …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • clavicle — UK [ˈklævɪkl] / US noun [countable] Word forms clavicle : singular clavicle plural clavicles medical one of the pair of bones that go across the top of your chest from your shoulder to the bottom of your neck. A less technical name for this is… …   English dictionary

  • clavicle — paired dermal bone ventral to the cleithrum in Acipenseridae and Amiidae. Lost or fused with the cleithrum in Teleostei. Clavicle was sometimes misapplied for cleithrum …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • clavicle —   n. collar bone.    ♦ clavicotomy, n. incision through this.    ♦ clavicular, a.    ♦ claviculate,   a. having a clavicle …   Dictionary of difficult words

  • Clavicle fracture — Classification and external resources X ray of a left clavicle fracture ICD 10 S …   Wikipedia

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