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Glite Dictionary
costovertebral

costovertebral

1 9.3
Relating to a rib and a bone in the spine where they meet
  • adjective
  • /ˌkɔːstoʊvərˈtɜːrəbəl/
  • Specialized
: costovertebral
  • The doctor examined the patient's costovertebral angle to check for any abnormalities.

Examples

  • Symptoms of kidney stones include pain in the costovertebral region and difficulty urinating.

  • She felt sharp pain in her costovertebral area after the injury.

  • Moreover, a primary tumor is often asymptomatic, and only 10% of patients have the classic triad of costovertebral pain, abdominal mass, and hematuria.

    Academic text (2001)

Surface Forms

costovertebral positive

Morphology

costovertebral = vertebral (semi-transparent) = costo + vertebra + al

The element 'vertebral' is clear, but 'costo-' is a technical combining form for 'rib' that many learners do not recognize and could be confused with English 'cost'.

Etymology

Costovertebral combines costo- ('rib') and vertebra ('spine' or 'backbone'), the same root you see in vertebrate. So it means the spot where a rib meets a vertebra, or the rib–spine joint.