clavicle

[klav-i-kuhl]

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

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.

clavicle

/ kləˈvɪkjʊlə, kləˈvɪkjʊˌleɪt, ˈklævɪkəl /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: collarbone. either of the two bones connecting the shoulder blades with the upper part of the breastbone

2. the corresponding structure in other vertebrates

clavicle

1. Either of two slender bones that extend from the upper part of the sternum (breastbone) to the shoulder.

2. Also called collarbone

Other Word Forms

• clavicular adjective
• claviculate adjective
• subclavicular adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clavicle¹

1605–15; < Medieval Latin clāvicula collarbone, Latin: tendril, door-bolt, little key, equivalent to clāvi ( s ) key + -cula -cule ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of clavicle¹

C17: from Medieval Latin clāvicula, from Latin clāvis key

Example Sentences

Mr Warburton sustained a dislocated right hip and a displaced clavicle.

From BBC

The 25-year-old also suffered lung contusions, a dislocated right clavicle and several torn ligaments after colliding with the open door of a postal vehicle.

From BBC

But that same weekend I traced the contours of a stranger’s clavicle in an Upper East Side art gallery and then interviewed her.

From New York Times

A fractured right clavicle ended his sophomore season, before he separated his right AC joint as a junior in 2021.

From Seattle Times

“The flesh is consumed and becomes water … the abdomen fills with water, the feet and legs swell, the shoulders, clavicles, chest, and thighs melt away. … The illness is fatal.”

From Science Magazine