PECTORAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pectoral mean? 

• PECTORAL (noun)
  The noun PECTORAL has 2 senses:

1. either of two large muscles of the chest

2. an adornment worn on the chest or breast

  Familiarity information: PECTORAL used as a noun is rare.

• PECTORAL (adjective)
  The adjective PECTORAL has 1 sense:

1. of or relating to the chest or thorax

  Familiarity information: PECTORAL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PECTORAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Either of two large muscles of the chest

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

musculus pectoralis; pecs; pectoral; pectoral muscle; pectoralis

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

skeletal muscle; striated muscle (a muscle that is connected at either or both ends to a bone and so move parts of the skeleton; a muscle that is characterized by transverse stripes)

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

greater pectoral muscle; musculus pectoralis major; pectoralis major (a skeletal muscle that adducts and rotates the arm)

musculus pectoralis minor; pectoralis minor; smaller pectoral muscle (a skeletal muscle that draws down the scapula or raises the ribs)

Holonyms ("pectoral" 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)

Derivation:

pectoral (of or relating to the chest or thorax)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An adornment worn on the chest or breast

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

pectoral; pectoral medallion

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

adornment (a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness)

Derivation:

pectoral (of or relating to the chest or thorax)

• PECTORAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or relating to the chest or thorax

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

pectoral; thoracic

Context example:

pectoral organ

Pertainym:

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

Derivation:

pectoral (an adornment worn on the chest or breast)

pectoral (either of two large muscles of the chest)

 Context examples 

The clavicle is part of the pectoral girdle.

(Clavicle, NCI Thesaurus)

This manifests as stimulation by the lead of non-cardiac structures such as the diaphragm, chest wall, or pectoral muscle.

(Extracardiac Stimulation, NCI Thesaurus/ACC)

Breast. 1. The pectoral surface of the thorax. 2. The organ of milk secretion; one of two hemispheric projections of variable size situated in the subcutaneous layer over the pectoralis major muscle on either side of the chest of the mature female; it is rudimentary in the male.

(Murine Breast, Female, NCI Thesaurus)