Floating rib

Floating rib
One of the last two ribs. A rib is said to be "floating" if it does not attach to the sternum (the breast bone) or to another rib. There are usually 12 pairs of ribs in all. Each pair of ribs is attached to the building blocks of the spine (the vertebrae) in the back. The 12 pairs of ribs consist of: True ribs: The first seven ribs attach to the sternum (the breast bone) in the front and are known as true (or sternal) ribs. False ribs: The lower five ribs do not directly connect to the sternum and are known as false ribs. The upper three false ribs connect to the costal cartilages of the ribs just above them. The last two false ribs, however, usually have no ventral attachment (no anchor at all in front) and are called floating, fluctuating or vertebral ribs.

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floating rib n any rib in the last two pairs of human ribs that have no attachment to the sternum compare FALSE RIB

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Floating rib — The four floating ribs (indicated with red arrows) …   Wikipedia

  • floating rib — noun : a rib not connected with the sternum or cartilages of other ribs ventrally, in man being the 11th and 12th on each side * * * ˌfloating ˈrib 7 [floating rib] (also ˌfalse ˈrib) noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • floating rib — noun Date: 1831 a rib (as one of either of the last two pairs in humans) that has no attachment to the sternum compare false rib …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • floating rib — n. (Anatomy) rib that is not attached to the sternum (one of the last two ribs) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • floating rib — float′ing rib′ n. anat. any member of the two lowest pairs of ribs, not attached to the sternum or the cartilages of other ribs …   From formal English to slang

  • floating rib — /floʊtɪŋ ˈrɪb/ (say flohting rib) noun one of the two lowest pairs of ribs in humans, which are attached neither to the sternum nor to the cartilages of other ribs …  

  • floating rib — Anat. one member of the two lowest pairs of ribs, which are attached neither to the sternum nor to the cartilages of other ribs. [1825 35] * * * …   Universalium

  • floating rib — noun any of the lower ribs which are not attached directly to the breastbone …   English new terms dictionary

  • Rib — One of the 12 paired arches of bone which form the skeletal structure of the chest wall (the rib cage). The ribs attach to the building blocks of the spine (vertebrae) in the back. The 12 pairs of ribs consist of: True ribs: The first seven ribs… …   Medical dictionary

  • rib — n. 1) to poke smb. in the ribs 2) a false; floating rib 3) (misc.) to break, fracture a rib * * * [rɪb] floating rib fracture a rib (misc.) to break a false to poke smb. in the ribs …   Combinatory dictionary

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