Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sternum

/ˈstɝ.nəm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.76 in modern English

Syllables
ster-num
IPA
/ˈstɝ.nəm/
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.

noun

The sclerotized ventral plate of spiders, between the coxae, marking the floor of the cephalothorax.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin sternum, related to Old English steorn (“forehead”), German Stirn (“forehead”).

Word Breakdown

  • Root: sternum, *sterh₃-

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈstɝ.nəm/
  • British English: /ˈstɜː.nəm/

Inflected Forms

sterna (plural) sternums (plural)

Derived Forms

coxosternum entosternum episternum furcasternum hyosternum hyposternum mesosternum metasternum omosternum pentasternum presternum prosternum

Frequently Paired Words

bone

Synonyms

breastbone

Rhymes With

xiphisternum mesosternum episternum hyosternum metasternum hyposternum omosternum entosternum

Questions

How do you pronounce sternum?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈstɝ.nəm/.
What does sternum mean?
The breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.
Where does sternum come from?
Borrowed from New Latin sternum, related to Old English steorn (“forehead”), German Stirn (“forehead”).

How to pronounce sternum

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sternum”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈstɝ.nəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sternum”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “sternum” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.