Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Either of two slender bones in humans that extend from the manubrium of the sternum to the acromion of the scapula. Also called collarbone.
- n. One of the bones of the pectoral girdle in many vertebrates.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The collar-bone, forming one of the elements of the pectoral arch in vertebrate animals. In man and sundry quadrupeds there are complete clavicles or collar-bones, each joined at one end to the scapula or shoulder-bone, and at the other to the sternum or breast-bone. In many quadrupeds the clavicles are absent or rudimentary, while in birds they are united in a single forked piece, popularly called the merrythought or wishbone. In many vertebrates below birds clavicles are recognized, but their homology is not always clear. The human clavicle is by some considered to be composed of its body, or clavicle proper, with a mesoscapular segment or acromial epiphysis, a precoracoid or sternal epiphysis, and an omosternum, or interarticular fibrocartilage; but this view is not generally adopted. See also cut under
skeleton . - n. In botany, a tendril.
- n. The columella of a univalve shell.
- n. In ichthyology, usually the largest bone of the shoulder-girdle. The supraclavicle, when present, is attached to its upper end, and the coracoid elements are attached to its posterior surface. It borders the gill-opening behind.
Wiktionary
- n. The collar bone; the prominent bone at the top of the chest between the shoulder and the neck.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Anat.) The collar bone, which is joined at one end to the scapula, or shoulder blade, and at the other to the sternum, or breastbone. In man each clavicle is shaped like the letter �, and is situated just above the first rib on either side of the neck. In birds the two clavicles are united ventrally, forming the merrythought, or wishbone.
WordNet 3.0
- n. bone linking the scapula and sternum
Etymologies
- From Latin clāvīcula, diminutive of clāvis ("key"). (Wiktionary)
- New Latin clāvīcula, from Latin, diminutive of clāvis, key (from its shape). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“_catena gulae_ of Roger and Gilbert is what we call the clavicle, though the more common Latin names of this bone are _claviculus_,”
“Ro replies, "Did you know it's considered good luck to break a clavicle on a Klingon wedding night?”
“I remember thinking of the word clavicle at the time because I had the odd feeling that the water level had sought out the slender, horizontal bones at the top of my chest to draw attention to the fact that I was now within 6 or 8 inches of having my nose and mouth submerged, at which point it would become challenging to continue the breathing process that had become habitual with me.”
“#27- Yes the thumb nail indentation for a cleavage straight to a clavicle is a nice touch.”
“The middle of the shaft of the clavicle is a much safer guide to the vessel than are the muscles which contribute to form this posterior triangle of the neck, in which the subclavian vessel is located.”
“Passing transversely behind the clavicle are the transverse scapular vessels; and traversing its upper angle in the same direction, the transverse cervical artery and vein.”
“Fracture of the _lateral_ or _acromial third_ of the clavicle is a common form of accident at football matches, and usually results from direct violence, the bone being driven down against the coracoid process, and broken as one breaks a stick over the knee.”
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition.
“As I've been telling most well-wishers, if your kid has to get a break in something, a clavicle is a good choice.”
“Note the two little "clavicle" tabs that will fold back as you bend the arms in.”
“The Giants knocked Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo from Monday night's game with a fractured left clavicle.”
The Washington Post: NFL's threat to crack down on illegal hits has immediate effect
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘clavicle’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Describing People
eye, hair, mouth, nose, tooth, head, face, arm, hand, finger, lip, leg and 212 more...
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Words For Novel (Part 2)
fable, sprite, syphilitic, anvil, wonderstruck, vertigo, bridled, tufted, fettered, savvy, tweed fedora, tryst and 255 more...
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Skeleton
Bones! (and other stuff)
cranium, vertebrae, cervical vertebrae, thoriac vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae, clavicle, rib cage, sternum, pelvis, coccyx, scapula, radius and 19 more...
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•body-related words that make lovely ...
With thanks to quinn for the idea, seen here. It's true that most diseases cannot double as names for baby boys—but some can. And anyway in their absence I nominate (thanks to Colon/Colin) body p...
colon, lung, langerhans, cuticle, spleen, glottis, calyx, anus, peter, pertussis, strabismus, erysipelas and 26 more...
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Awesome Names for Your Heavy Metal Band
onslaught, gamecock, chthonic, hoarfrost, kernicterus, keelhaul, simulacrum, clavicle, interregnum, catafalque, gravamen, blunderbuss and 47 more...
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inquiryqueue's list
words delicious to pronounce
apostrophe, asphodel, anemone, cantaloupe, cantalevered, cardamom, coriander, petrichor, sycamore, luminous, tendril, peculiar and 122 more...
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pagecrusher's Words
fugu, ilk, rigamarole, superfluous, dearth, sacrosanct, moniker, bifurcate, villainous, onus, brazen, odin and 268 more...
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Twitter favourites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favourite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
thunderfuck, incredible, merp, sara, flopparoo, smother, fugly, buer, plum, canny, nefelibata, cuntbucket and 1972 more... -
MiaLuthien's list ♥
gambit, prehensile, coquetry, impunity, genuflect, ensconce, clavicle, delude, beget, castigate, life caching, convoluted and 478 more...
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Morthalion's Words
supercilious, kvetch, kvass, splurge, erroneous, pugnacious, macabre, gauche, conglomerate, abyss, paraphernalia, kleptomania and 285 more...
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Anatomically Correct
canthus, vibrissa, femoral, sphenoid, dura mater, pia mater, epiglottis, glottis, mons veneris, plaque, tibia, ulna and 96 more...
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slumry's Words
cattywampus, ingratiate, lackadaisical, exactitude, exfoliate, fulminate, circumnavigation, circuitous, debride, sidle, sequester, chicory and 1002 more...
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Human Anatomy
Terms relating to the human body, primarily in osteology.
humerus, scapula, ulna, radius, maxilla, mandible, mandible, occipital bone, parietal bone, frontal bone, tibia, talus and 104 more...
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je les adore!
fusillade, foal, celestial, abattoir, byzantium, berlin, casablanca, babylon, balkans, albion, avalon, between the devil... and 471 more...
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AbraxasZugzwang's Words
atavism, abraxas, sisyphean, frust, fetus-in-fetu, arhythmically, queef, epidemiology, abecedarian, troglodyte, chiaroscuro, philology and 631 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for clavicle.

reesetee I don't know, u--sounds too "clattery" for a wind instrument to me. And AZ, I wouldn't say I have a clavicle fetish, but I do so like them. ;-) Mar 11, 2007
abraxaszugzwang with you on the wind instrument, wuss. Mar 11, 2007
uselessness Clavicles give me the willys. But I guess that wouldn't come as a surprise, knowing me. Consider this added to the Nightmares! list.
An aside: Am I the only one who thinks this word sounds more like a wind instrument than a collarbone? Mar 11, 2007
abraxaszugzwang Anyone else have a clavicle fetish? No? Anyone? Mar 11, 2007
reesetee Ouch. I tend to break smaller bones myself--fingers, toes, metatarsals.... Mar 10, 2007
sonofgroucho This is the only bone that I have fractured (so far). Mar 9, 2007