THORAX (thoraces)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: thoraces   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does thorax mean? 

• THORAX (noun)
  The noun THORAX has 3 senses:

1. the middle region of the body of an arthropod between the head and the abdomen

2. the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

3. part of an insect's body that bears the wings and legs

  Familiarity information: THORAX used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• THORAX (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The middle region of the body of an arthropod between the head and the abdomen

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("thorax" is a kind of...):

body part (any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity)

Holonyms ("thorax" is a part of...):

arthropod (invertebrate having jointed limbs and a segmented body with an exoskeleton made of chitin)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

chest; pectus; thorax

Hypernyms ("thorax" is a kind of...):

body part (any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity)

Meronyms (parts of "thorax"):

area of cardiac dullness (a triangular area of the front of the chest (determined by percussion); corresponds to the part of the heart not covered by the lungs)

rib cage (the bony enclosing wall of the chest)

breast; chest (the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen)

chest cavity; thoracic cavity (the cavity in the vertebrate body enclosed by the ribs between the diaphragm and the neck and containing the lungs and heart)

musculus pectoralis; pecs; pectoral; pectoral muscle; pectoralis (either of two large muscles of the chest)

gall bladder; gallbladder (a muscular sac attached to the liver that stores bile (secreted by the liver) until it is needed for digestion)

thoracic vein; vena thoracica (veins that drain the thoracic walls)

thoracic aorta (a branch of the descending aorta; divides into the iliac arteries)

breastbone; sternum (the flat bone that articulates with the clavicles and the first seven pairs of ribs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "thorax"):

bust; female chest (the chest of a woman)

male chest (the chest of a man)

Holonyms ("thorax" is a part of...):

craniate; vertebrate (animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium)

body; torso; trunk (the body excluding the head and neck and limbs)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Part of an insect's body that bears the wings and legs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("thorax" is a kind of...):

body part (any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "thorax"):

prothorax (the anterior part of an insect's thorax; bears the first pair of legs)

Holonyms ("thorax" is a part of...):

insect (small air-breathing arthropod)

 Context examples 

Accumulation of blood in the thorax.

(Hemothorax, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

Placed on the sixth ICS on the right side of the thorax along a line parallel to the level of the point of the elbow.

(Lead Site CV5RL, NCI Thesaurus)

In large animals it is placed over the 6th rib at the level of the costochondral junction on the left side of the thorax.

(Lead Site V2, NCI Thesaurus)

Small cell lung carcinoma which is confined to one hemi-thorax and the regional lymph nodes.

(Limited Stage Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

The anterior side of the thorax from the neck to the abdomen.

(Chest, NCI Thesaurus)

Small cell lung carcinoma which has spread beyond one hemi-thorax and the regional lymph nodes.

(Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)

The portion of the body that lies between the thorax and the pelvis.

(Abdominal Cavity, NCI Thesaurus)

A rare autosomal recessive inherited syndrome characterized by a narrow thorax, micromelia, and respiratory disturbances which may lead to asphyxiation.

(Jeune Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

Surgical removal of the lymph nodes located in the cavity beneath the junction of the arm and the thorax, or axilla (armpit).

(Axillary lymph node dissection, NCI Thesaurus)

V1 electrode (+) placed in the 6th intercostal space on the left side of the thorax along a line parallel to the level of the point of the elbow.

(Lead Site CV6LL, NCI Thesaurus)