Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Relating to or situated in the breast or chest.
- adjective Useful in relieving disorders of the chest or respiratory tract.
- adjective Worn on the chest or breast.
- noun Any of four muscles that occur in pairs on each side of the chest.
- noun A pectoral fin.
- noun A medicine for relieving disorders of the chest or respiratory tract.
- noun An ornament or decoration worn on the chest.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Figuratively, proceeding from the breast, as of the heart; from the inner consciousness.
- Of, pertaining to, or connected with the breast or chest; thoracic: as, a pectoral muscle, vessel, nerve, etc.; a pectornl limb.
- In entomology, pertaining to the pectus or lower surface of the thorax.
- noun Armor for the breast, excluding the throat and the lower part of the body.
- noun An ornament to be worn on the breast; especially, an ornament of an unfamiliar sort, or of a sort to which no special name is given: as an enameled pectoral.
- noun Eccles.: In the anc. Jewish ritual, a sacerdotal breastplate of richly colored and embroidered cloth, worn by the high priest.
- noun In the Roman Catholic Church, a square plate of gold, silver, or embroidery, either jeweled or enameled, formerly worn on the breast over the chasuble by bishops during the celebration of the mass.
- noun A pectoral cross.
- noun A food, a drink, or a drug supposed to be good for persons having weak lungs.
- noun A pectoral part or organ.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the breast, or chest.
- adjective Relating to, or good for, diseases of the chest or lungs.
- adjective (Zoöl.) Having the breast conspicuously colored.
- adjective (Anat.) the two or more bony or cartilaginous pieces of the vertebrate skeleton to which the fore limbs are articulated; the shoulder girdle. In man it consists of two bones, the scapula and clavicle, on each side.
- adjective (Eccl.) a cross worn on the breast by bishops and abbots, and sometimes also by canons.
- adjective (Zoöl.) fins situated on the sides, behind the gills. See
Illust. underFin . - adjective (Zoöl.) See Land rail (b) under
Land . - adjective (Zoöl.) the jacksnipe (b).
- noun A covering or protecting for the breast.
- noun A breastplate, esp. that worn by the Jewish high person.
- noun A clasp or a cross worn on the breast.
- noun A medicine for diseases of the chest organs, especially the lungs.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the
breast , orchest ; as, the pectoralmuscles . - adjective Relating to, or good for,
diseases of the chest orlungs ; as, a pectoralremedy . - adjective zoology Having the breast
conspicuously colored ; as, the pectoralsandpiper . - noun Protective
armor for ahorse 's breast. - noun A
covering or protecting for the breast. - noun ecclesiastical A
breastplate , especially that worn by theJewish high person. - noun ecclesiastical A
clasp or across worn on the breast. - noun A
medicine for diseases of the chestorgans , especially the lungs.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun either of two large muscles of the chest
- noun an adornment worn on the chest or breast
- adjective of or relating to the chest or thorax
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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On his left pectoral is a skull with one eyeball dangling from the socket by a cord of veins.
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On his left pectoral is a skull with one eyeball dangling from the socket by a cord of veins.
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On his left pectoral is a skull with one eyeball dangling from the socket by a cord of veins.
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Her shoulders were broad, and her pectoral muscles were anchored to an oversized breastbone called the pectoral crest.
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Her shoulders were broad, and her pectoral muscles were anchored to an oversized breastbone called the pectoral crest.
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It is in the style of what the pope would call a pectoral cross.
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"Faience is, well, a kind of ceramic and a pectoral is a …" long fingers sketched incomprehensible designs in the air.
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The form of the pectoral was a square made by the folding in two of the material measuring a cubit in length and half a cubit in breadth.
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The pectoral is the latest addition to episcopal ornaments.
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They enter in the composition of the so-called pectoral remedies (composed of equal parts of figs, dates, Corinthian raisins and manzanitas).
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