mediastinum

[ mee-dee-a-stahy-nuhm ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural me·di·as·ti·na [mee-dee-a-, stahy, -n, uh].

1. a median septum or partition between two parts of an organ, or paired cavities of the body.
2. the partition separating the right and left thoracic cavities, formed of the two inner pleural walls, and, in humans, comprising all the viscera of the thorax except the lungs.

mediastinum

/ ˌmiːdɪəˈstaɪnəm /

noun

1. a membrane between two parts of an organ or cavity such as the pleural tissue between the two lungs
2. the part of the thoracic cavity that lies between the lungs, containing the heart, trachea, etc

Derived Forms

• ˌmediasˈtinal, adjective

Other Words From

• medi·as·tinal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mediastinum¹

1535–45; < New Latin; compare mediastīnus of middle class, apparently identical with Latin mediast ( r ) īnus a low-ranking slave, perhaps derivative of medius mid ¹, though sense and formation unclear

Word History and Origins

Origin of mediastinum¹

C16: from medical Latin, neuter of Medieval Latin mediastīnus median, from Latin: low grade of servant, from medius mean

Example Sentences

She was on the cusp of adulthood and came to us suddenly because she was having trouble breathing, and an X-ray obtained by her pediatrician showed an enormous mass in her mediastinum, the central part of her chest.

From New York Times

The position of pointing may be on the cheek or in the external auditory meatus—a very common location; again, the abscess may break into the mouth, the pharynx, the oesophagus, or into the anterior mediastinum, the pus burrowing its way along the sheath of the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle.

From Project Gutenberg

Mediastinum, mē-di-as-tī′num, n. a membranous septum or cavity between two principal portions of an organ, esp. the folds of the pleura and the space between the right and left lungs.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

This auscultatory sign is evidence of some more or less solid body in the anterior mediastinum which is lying on the trachea and permits the normal tubular breathing in the trachea to be audible over the upper part of the sternum.

From Project Gutenberg

He also has a nodule in the mediastinum, which is an area with glands in the chest.

From Reuters