Standard Lemma guide

thorax

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • thôr'aks
  • /ˈθɔɹæks/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: TH AO1 R AE0 K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The region of the mammalian body between the neck and abdomen as well as the cavity containing the heart and lungs.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

Examples

  • Holonyms: torso, trunk < body
  • Meronym: chest

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body to which the legs are attached.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: arachnology, biology, entomology, natural-sciences, zoology

Examples

  • Holonym: body
  • Meronyms: prothorax, mesothorax, metathorax

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: body part

Narrower terms: prothorax

4

noun

Meaning 4

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chest, pectus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: body part

Narrower terms: female chest, bust, male chest

5

noun

Meaning 5

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: body part

History

Etymology

From Latin thorax, from Ancient Greek θώραξ (thṓrax, “a breastplate, cuirass, corslet”).

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: կրծքավանդակ (krckʻavandak) — region of the mammalian body
  • Bulgarian: гръден кош (grǎden koš) — region of the mammalian body
  • Catalan: tòrax — region of the mammalian body
  • Cebuano: dughan — region of the mammalian body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 胸部 (xiōngbù) — region of the mammalian body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 胸廓 (xiōngkuò) — region of the mammalian body
  • Czech: hruď — region of the mammalian body
  • Czech: hrudník — region of the mammalian body
  • Dutch: borst — region of the mammalian body
  • Dutch: borstkas — region of the mammalian body
  • Esperanto: torako — region of the mammalian body
  • Finnish: rintakehä — region of the mammalian body
  • French: thorax — region of the mammalian body
  • Galician: tórax — region of the mammalian body
  • Galician: arca — region of the mammalian body
  • German: Thorax — region of the mammalian body
  • Greek: θώρακας (thórakas) — region of the mammalian body
  • Hungarian: mellkas — region of the mammalian body
  • Icelandic: brjóst — region of the mammalian body
  • Icelandic: brjóstkassi — region of the mammalian body
  • Icelandic: brjósthol — region of the mammalian body
  • Ido: torako — region of the mammalian body
  • Irish: tóracs — region of the mammalian body
  • Irish: cliabhrach — region of the mammalian body
  • Italian: torace — region of the mammalian body
  • Italian: petto — region of the mammalian body
  • Japanese: 胸郭 (kyōkaku) — region of the mammalian body
  • Korean: 흉곽 (hyunggwak) — region of the mammalian body
  • Korean: 흉부 (hyungbu) — region of the mammalian body
  • Northern Kurdish: sing — region of the mammalian body
  • Lombard: torax — region of the mammalian body
  • Lombard: peit — region of the mammalian body
  • Macedonian: гради (gradi) — region of the mammalian body
  • Malay: toraks — region of the mammalian body
  • Malayalam: നെഞ്ച് (neñcŭ) — region of the mammalian body
  • Māori: tārāuma — region of the mammalian body
  • Māori: hōpara — region of the mammalian body
  • Occitan: torax — region of the mammalian body
  • Polish: klatka piersiowa — region of the mammalian body
  • Portuguese: tórax — region of the mammalian body
  • Russian: грудна́я кле́тка (grudnája klétka) — region of the mammalian body
  • Russian: то́ракс (tóraks) — region of the mammalian body
  • Sanskrit: वक्षस् (vakṣas) — region of the mammalian body
  • Santali: ᱠᱚᱲᱟᱢ (kôṛam) — region of the mammalian body
  • Scottish Gaelic: broilleach — region of the mammalian body
  • Scottish Gaelic: cliabh — region of the mammalian body
  • Slovene: toraks — region of the mammalian body
  • Slovene: prsni koš — region of the mammalian body
  • Spanish: tórax — region of the mammalian body
  • Swedish: thorax — region of the mammalian body
  • Swedish: bröstkorg — region of the mammalian body
  • Tagalog: dibdib — region of the mammalian body
  • Thai: อก (òk) — region of the mammalian body
  • Ukrainian: то́ракс (tóraks) — region of the mammalian body
  • Ukrainian: грудна́ клі́тка (hrudná klítka) — region of the mammalian body
  • Vietnamese: ngực — region of the mammalian body
  • Vietnamese: vòng một — region of the mammalian body
  • Volapük: blötakev — region of the mammalian body
  • Yiddish: ברוסטקאַסטן (brustkastn) — region of the mammalian body
  • Dutch: borststuk — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Finnish: keskiruumis — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • French: thorax — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • German: Thorax — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Greek: θώρακας (thórakas) — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Hungarian: tor — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Icelandic: frambolur — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Irish: tóracs — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Malay: toraks — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Māori: tārāuma — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Polish: tułów — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Portuguese: tórax — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Russian: то́ракс (tóraks) — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Slovene: toraks — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Slovene: oprsje — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Spanish: tórax — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
  • Ukrainian: то́ракс (tóraks) — middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body
Real reading context

thorax in complete knowledge articles