CHEST CAVITY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does chest cavity mean? 

• CHEST CAVITY (noun)
  The noun CHEST CAVITY has 1 sense:

1. the cavity in the vertebrate body enclosed by the ribs between the diaphragm and the neck and containing the lungs and heart

  Familiarity information: CHEST CAVITY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHEST CAVITY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The cavity in the vertebrate body enclosed by the ribs between the diaphragm and the neck and containing the lungs and heart

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

chest cavity; thoracic cavity

Hypernyms ("chest cavity" is a kind of...):

bodily cavity; cavity; cavum ((anatomy) a natural hollow or sinus within the body)

Meronyms (parts of "chest cavity"):

mediastinum (the part of the thoracic cavity between the lungs that contains the heart and aorta and esophagus and trachea and thymus)

Holonyms ("chest cavity" is a part of...):

chest; pectus; thorax (the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates)

 Context examples 

The thin membrane that lines the chest cavity in the area between the lungs.

(Mediastinal pleura, NCI Dictionary)

A condition in which cancer causes an abnormal amount of fluid to collect between the thin layers of tissue (pleura) lining the outside of the lung and the wall of the chest cavity.

(Malignant pleural effusion, NCI Dictionary)

The marked inward movement of the muscles between the ribs during inhalation; they indicate that there is reduced pressure in the chest cavity and can be a sign of breathing difficulties.

(Intercostal Retractions, NCI Thesaurus)

A congenital or acquired weakness or opening in the diaphragm which allows abdominal contents to protrude into the chest cavity; congenital diaphragmatic hernias are caused when the embryonic diaphragm fails to fuse.

(Diaphragmatic Hernia, NCI Thesaurus)

The pleura, a large thin sheet of tissue, lines the inside of the chest cavity.

(Chest Injuries and Disorders, NIH)