thorax
/ˈθɔɹæks/ noun
Forms thoraces thoraxes
- noun (anatomy) The region of the mammalian body between the neck and abdomen as well as the cavity containing the heart and lungs.
- noun (entomology and arachnology) The middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body to which the legs are attached.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin thorax, from Ancient Greek θώραξ (thṓrax, “a breastplate, cuirass, corslet”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The part of the trunk between the neck and the abdomen, containing that part of the body cavity the walls of which are supported by the dorsal vertebræ, the ribs, and the sternum, and which the heart and lungs are situated; the chest.
- noun (a) The middle region of the body of an insect, or that region which bears the legs and wings. It is composed of three united somites, each of which is composed of several distinct parts. See Illust. in Appendix. and Illust. of Coleoptera.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “thorax”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details