thoracic
Meaning of thoracic: Thoracic describes the chest region and the organs it contains, including the heart, lungs, esophagus, and the section of spine behind them.
Definition of thoracic
Thoracic means relating to the thorax, the region of the body commonly known as the chest, bounded by the ribs, breastbone, and spine. The term describes the anatomy contained within this region, including the thoracic cavity, which houses the heart, lungs, and esophagus, as well as the thoracic spine, the middle section of the backbone located behind the chest.
The word is used across multiple specialties, including thoracic surgery, which addresses conditions of the chest organs and chest wall, and radiology, where a thoracic imaging study evaluates the structures within this region. Thoracic findings can involve any of the organs or tissues within the chest, so the term alone does not specify which structure is affected.
The thoracic spine is distinguished from the cervical spine in the neck above it and the lumbar spine in the lower back below it, each of which has a different number and shape of vertebrae.
How thoracic is built
- thorac/o Combining form · Greek chest, thorax
- -ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic Suffix · Greek and Latin pertaining to, relating to
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Used in a sentence
A CT scan of the thoracic cavity was obtained to further evaluate the abnormal chest x-ray.
Good to know
Thoracic pain can originate from the chest wall, the lungs, the heart, the esophagus, or the thoracic spine, so its source is not assumed from location alone.
Word origin
Where “thoracic” comes from
From Greek thorax, thorak-, meaning "chest" or "breastplate."