Meanings
- not comparableanatomyRelating to or denoting an artery or vein which serves the neck and arm on the left or right side of the body.
There I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery.
1887, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “A Study in Scarlet”, in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, London; New York, N.Y.: Ward, Lock & Co., part I (Being a reprint from the reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D., […]), chapter I (Mr. Sherlock Holmes), page 1
plural subclavians
- anatomyA subclavian part (such as an artery, vein, or nerve).
The carotids were in their natural state; the arteria innominata and the subclavian were twice their natural diameter: their smaller branches were proportionally dilated and bent zigzag.
1833, R. J. Bertin, translated by Charles W. Chauncy, Treatise on the Diseases of the Heart, and Great Vessels, Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blnachard, page 169
Origin
From New Latin subclavius + -ian, from sub- (“under”) + clavicula (“collar bone, clavicle”) + -ius (adjectival suffix).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Irish fo-chlabhach
- fo-chlabhachbeneath the clavicle
Polish podobojczykowy
- podobojczykowybeneath the clavicle
Spanish subclavio
- subclaviobeneath the clavicle
Cite this entry
subclavian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subclavian
“subclavian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subclavian. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “subclavian,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/subclavian.
Source: subclavian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.