xiphoid

[ zif-oid ]

adjective

1. Anatomy, Zoology. sword-shaped; ensiform.

noun

1. the xiphisternum.

xiphoid

/ ˈzɪfɔɪd /

adjective

1. biology shaped like a sword
2. of or relating to the xiphisternum

noun

1. Also calledxiphoid process Another name for xiphisternum

Other Words From

• post·xiphoid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of xiphoid¹

1740–50; < New Latin xiphoīdēs < Greek xiphoeidḗs swordlike, equivalent to xíph ( os ) sword + -oeidēs -oid

Word History and Origins

Origin of xiphoid¹

C18: from New Latin, from Greek, from xiphos sword + eidos form

Example Sentences

Now I’ve got him pinned with my knee on his xiphoid, making it hard for him to breathe, much less move.

From Literature

“Just to the bottom of the xiphoid process,” Ms. Boyle said.

From New York Times

Actually, the “lump” is the xiphoid process, the quarter-size cartilaginous end of the bony sternum.

From Washington Post

Two little girls were united from the xiphoid cartilage to the umbilicus.

From Project Gutenberg

The posterior extremity of the sternum, flattened from above downwards, ends in a cartilaginous plate; concave superiorly, and convex inferiorly: this is the abdominal prolongation, or xiphoid appendix.

From Project Gutenberg