Meanings
- not comparableanatomyRelating to or involving the sternum, the clavicle and the mastoid process of the temporal bone.
- not comparableanatomyOf or pertaining to the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
plural sternocleidomastoids
- abbreviationellipsisanatomyEllipsis of sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounone of two thick muscles running from the sternum and clavicle to the mastoid and occipital bone; turns head obliquely to the opposite side; when acting together they flex the neck and extend the head
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- New Latinsternocleidomastoīdēs
- Englishsternocleidomastoid
Borrowed from New Latin sternocleidomastoīdēs, from Latin sternum (“the breastbone”) + Ancient Greek κλείς (kleís, “the collarbone”) + Latin mastoīdēs (“like a breast”), equivalent to sterno- + cleido- + mastoid.
More words from New Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Italian sternocleidomastoideo
- sternocleidomastoideopertaining to the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Portuguese esternocleidomastóideo
- esternocleidomastóideopertaining to the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Spanish esternocleidomastoideo
- esternocleidomastoideopertaining to the sternocleidomastoid muscle
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sternocleidomastoid
Cite this entry
sternocleidomastoid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sternocleidomastoid
“sternocleidomastoid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sternocleidomastoid. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sternocleidomastoid,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sternocleidomastoid.
Source: sternocleidomastoid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.