What does thoracal mean?
Thoracal is a rare adjective meaning “of or relating to the thorax,” the anatomical term for the chest. It is an alternative form of the much more common adjective thoracic, not a word with a separate specialized meaning. In medical and anatomical writing, thoracal may qualify structures, regions, or conditions associated with the chest, much as thoracic does: “thoracal vertebrae” or “thoracal cavity.” The vocabulary is technical and usually appears in formal subject matter rather than everyday conversation. For most modern writers, thoracic is the natural and more readily recognized choice, while thoracal is chiefly useful as a recognizable variant found in specialized writing, quotations, or older sources. Knowing it is therefore valuable chiefly for recognition: a reader can understand the uncommon form without assuming that it denotes a different kind of chest anatomy.
adjectiveRelating to the thorax (the chest); thoracic.
- Relating to the thorax or chest.
"The thoracal vertebrae form the middle portion of the spine."
"The thoracal vertebrae form the middle portion of the spine."
"The injury affected several thoracal muscles and nerves."
Thoracal is the chest's less common spelling, but it points just as directly to the anatomy as thoracic.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thoracal come from?
Thoracal comes through Latin, where thoracalis meant “of or relating to the chest,” and ultimately from Ancient Greek thōrax (genitive thōrakos), “breastplate, cuirass, chest.” English developed both thoracal and thoracic as derivatives reflecting this classical source, with the former remaining the rarer form while the latter became standard. Related English words include thoracotomy and thoracoscopy, both formed from the same thorac- root.
Related word forms
How thoracal is actually used
This is a formal, technical variant of the much more common word thoracic. In contemporary English, thoracic is normally the more natural choice.
Easily confused with thoracal
Thoracal is a less common variant of the standard adjective thoracic; the two have the same meaning.