Standard Lemma guide

xiphisternum

noun · 1 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

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  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nəm

1

noun

Meaning 1

Synonym of xiphoid process.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • 1887, "Skeleton", entry in The Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 22, 9th Edition, page 113, The xiphisternum may assume various forms, but attains its maximum development in Birds, where it forms the part of the sternum posterior to the attachment of the ribs, and may consist of a median and four lateral processes, as in the Fowl. It bears the greater part of the keel.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: xiphoid process

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Ancient Greek ξίφος (xíphos, “sword”) + English -i- (in place of the etymologically consistent -o-) + English sternum