What does clavicle mean?
The clavicle — known in everyday speech as the collarbone — is the slender, S-shaped bone that runs horizontally between the breastbone and the shoulder, forming part of the pectoral girdle. It is the bone you can readily feel just above the ribcage, and it serves as a strut holding the arm away from the torso while anchoring muscles of the chest and shoulder. Because of its exposed position and thin profile, the clavicle is the most frequently fractured bone in the body, especially in falls, sports injuries, and bicycle accidents. In medical writing the word is standard, while in casual conversation people more often say collarbone. The term entered English from Latin via New Latin anatomical usage, deriving from clavicula, a diminutive meaning little key, a reference to the bone's curved shape. Related anatomical terms include subclavian and supraclavicular, which describe structures beneath or above the bone. Knowing the word is useful for understanding medical reports, sports commentary, and anatomy.
nounThe clavicle is the bone connecting the sternum (breastbone) to the shoulder; commonly called the collarbone.
- The bone linking the sternum to the scapula at the shoulder; anatomically the collarbone.
"The cyclist fractured her clavicle when she came off her bike on the descent."
"He felt along his collarbone and winced — the clavicle had snapped cleanly in two."
"In anatomy class we traced the clavicle's S-shaped curve from sternum to shoulder."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to both collarbones or to the bone across multiple individuals.
"Both clavicles were clearly visible in the scan."
The clavicle is the most frequently broken bone in the human body — and it's also the only long bone that lies horizontally, strutting like a strut between your neck and your shoulder.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clavicle
"Clavicle" comes from Latin clavicula, a diminutive of clavis meaning "key", so the original sense was "little key" — an allusion to the bone's curved shape. The word passed into English through post-classical and New Latin anatomical texts, becoming established in English by the early modern period. It shares its root with other clavis-derived terms such as "clavichord", an early keyboard instrument literally named for its keys, with enclitic/proclitic words formed from the same root.
Related word forms
How clavicle is actually used
"Clavicle" is the standard term in medical and formal contexts, while "collarbone" is the everyday word. Plural is "clavicles."
Easily confused with clavicle
The scapula is the shoulder blade, the flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder, whereas the clavicle is the collarbone running across the front between the breastbone and shoulder.