true rib
1
5.8
- noun
- /truː rɪb/
- Specialized
:
costilla verdadera
- His sternum, clavicles, true ribs... have all been swapped out for silicon nanofibers.
Examples
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The doctor explained that the true ribs are the first seven pairs that connect directly to the sternum.
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In anatomy class, we learned about how the true ribs play a vital role in protecting the heart and lungs.
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During the surgery, the surgeon carefully examined the true ribs to ensure there was no damage to the surrounding structures.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The modifier 'true' gives a partial clue (contrast with 'false') that these ribs are the 'real' or properly connected ones, so a learner might infer they are the normally attached ribs. However, the exact anatomical sense — that they are the first seven ribs and attach directly to the sternum via costal cartilage — is technical and not fully predictable from 'true' + 'rib' alone, so prior exposure or domain knowledge is needed.
Etymology
True rib names the first ribs that connect straight to the breastbone. People called them true because each rib joins the bone itself, unlike 'false' ribs, so true rib means a rib attached directly to the breastbone.