rib

1. Anatomy.
   1. One of a series of long curved bones occurring in 12 pairs in humans and extending from the spine to or toward the sternum.
   2. A similar bone in most vertebrates.
2. A part or piece similar to a rib and serving to shape or support: the rib of an umbrella.
3. A cut of meat enclosing one or more rib bones.
4. Nautical. One of many curved members attached to a boat or ship's keel and extending upward and outward to form the framework of the hull.
5. One of many transverse pieces that provide an airplane wing with shape and strength.
6. Architecture. A long, narrow, usually arched member projecting from the surface of a structure, especially such a member separating the webs of a vault.
7. A raised ridge or wale in knitted material or in cloth.
8. Botany. The main vein or any of the prominent veins of a leaf or other plant organ.
9. Slang. A teasing remark or action; a joke.

1. To shape, support, or provide with a rib or ribs.
2. To make with ridges or raised markings.
3. Informal. To tease or make fun of. See synonyms at banter.

[Middle English, from Old English ribb.]

1. The meat cut (beef, lamb or veal) from between the short loin and the chuck. Chops, steaks and roasts (depending on the animal) are cut from the rib section, which is very tender. See also rib roast; rib steak. 2. A single stalk of a celery bunch, though some cooks refer to the entire bunch as a rib. In general, the words rib and stalk describe the same thing.

verb

To tease or mock good-humoredly: banter, chaff, joke, josh. Informal kid, ride. Slang jive, rag², razz. See laughter.

n. any of the curved transverse pieces of metal or timber in a ship, extending up from the keel and forming part of the framework of the hull.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

1. A curved structural member supporting any curved shape or panel.
2. In vaulted roofs, the moldings which project from the surface and separate the various roof or ceiling panels.
3. A raised ridge or fold which is formed in sheet metal (or a formed section attached thereto) to provide stiffness.

rib, 1 of an arch

ribs, 2 dividing a ceiling into squares

One of 12 pairs of long, flat, curved bones forming part of the thoracic cage, attached at one end to a thoracic vertebra. See also false ribs, floating ribs, true ribs.

Any one of the paired, curved, cylindrical bones, extending from the thoracic vertebrae to the ventral aspect of the trunk, forming the major part of the thoracic skeleton, and consisting of a dorsal bony part and a ventral cartilaginous part that may or may not articulate with the sternum. Typically 13 pairs in the dog, cat and ruminants, 18 pairs in horses and 14 or 15 pairs in the pig. Called also costa.

• abdominal r's, asternal r's — a rib whose ventral end does not meet the sternum. See also false ribs (below).
• cervical r. — a supernumerary rib arising from a cervical vertebra.
• r. contractor — a strongly built device for pulling ribs together following retraction for surgical access to the thoracic cavity.
• false r's — the caudal ribs, not attached directly to the sternum but are attached to each other's sternal cartilage to form the costal arch.
• floating r. — a rib whose distal extremity is unattached to an adjacent rib or the sternum.
• r. retractor — heavy duty surgical instrument for separating ribs to allow surgeon better access to thoracic contents. See finochietto rib spreader.
• slipping r. — one whose attaching cartilage is repeatedly dislocated.
• sternal r. — true ribs articulating with the sternum.
• true r's — the ribs attached to both vertebrae and sternum.
• vertebral r's — floating ribs.
• vertebrocostal r's — the false ribs that contribute to the costal arch.
• vertebrosternal r's — true ribs.

The main vein or any prominent ridge or vein of a leaf or other plant organ.

This article is about the part of the skeleton. For other uses, see Rib (disambiguation).

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

The human rib cage. (Source: Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, 20th ed. 1918.)

In vertebrate anatomy, ribs (Latin costae) are the long curved bones which form the ribcage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest (Greek:θώραξ, Latin thorax) they enable lungs to expand by expanding the chest, they also protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax. In some animals, especially snakes, ribs may provide support and protection for the entire body.

Contents 1 Human anatomy 2 In other animals 3 See also 4 References

Human anatomy

Main article: Human rib cage

X-ray image of human chest, with ribs labeled.

Single human rib-detail

Humans have 24 ribs (12 pairs). The first seven sets of ribs, known as "true ribs", are directly attached to the sternum through the costal cartilage. The following five sets are known as "false ribs", three of these sharing a common cartilaginous connection to the sternum, while the last two (eleventh and twelfth ribs) are termed floating ribs (costae fluitantes) or vertebral ribs. They are attached to the vertebrae only, and not to the sternum or cartilage coming off of the sternum. Some people are missing one of the two pairs of floating ribs, while others have a third pair. Rib removal is the surgical excision of ribs for therapeutic or cosmetic reasons.

The ribcage is separated from the lower abdomen by the thoracic diaphragm which controls breathing. When the diaphragm contracts, the ribcage and thoracic cavity are expanded, reducing intra-thoracic pressure and drawing air into the lungs.

In other animals

In fish, there are often two sets of ribs attached to the vertebral column. One set, the dorsal ribs, are found in the dividing septum between the upper and lower parts of the main muscle segments, projecting roughly sideways from the vertebral column. The second set, of ventral ribs arise from the vertebral column just below the dorsal ribs, and enclose the lower body, often joining at the tips. Not all species possess both types of rib, with the dorsal ribs being most commonly absent. Sharks, for example, have no dorsal ribs, and only very short ventral ribs, while lampreys have no ribs at all. In some teleosts, there may be additional rib-like bones within the muscle mass.^[1]

Skeleton of a dog showing the location of the ribs

Tetrapods, however, only ever have a single set of ribs which are probably homologous with the dorsal ribs of fishes. In the early tetrapods, every vertebra bore a pair of ribs, although those on the thoracic vertebrae are typically the longest. The sacral ribs were stout and short, since they formed part of the pelvis, connecting the backbone to the hip bones.^[1]

In most subsequent forms, many of these early ribs have been lost, and in living amphibians and reptiles, there is great variation in rib structure and number. For example, turtles have only eight pairs of ribs, which are developed into a bony or cartilagenous carapace and plastron, while snakes have numerous ribs running along the full length of their trunk. Frogs typically have no ribs, aside from a sacral pair, which form part of the pelvis.^[1]

In birds, ribs are present as distinct bones only on the thoracic region, although small fused ribs are present on the cervical vertebrae. The thoracic ribs of birds possess a wide projection to the rear; this uncinate process is an attachment for the shoulder muscles.^[1]

Mammals usually also only have distinct ribs on the thoracic vertebra, although fixed cervical ribs are also present in monotremes. In marsupials and placental mammals, the cervical and lumbar ribs are found only as tiny remnants fused to the vertebrae, where they are referred to as transverse processes. In general, the structure and number of the true ribs in humans is similar to that in other mammals. Unlike reptiles, caudal ribs are never found in mammals.^[1]

See also

• Bone terminology
• Terms for anatomical location
• Ribs (food)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 170-173. ISBN 0-03-910284-X. 

Look up rib in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 4th ed. Keith L. Moore and Robert F. Dalley. pp. 62–64

v • d • e Human anatomy (TA A01.1) Head Forehead · Ear · Jaw · Face (Cheek, Eye, Nose, Mouth, Chin) · Occiput · Scalp · Temple Neck Throat · Adam's apple Torso Breast · Thorax · Abdomen · Navel · Back · Pelvis Sex organs Limbs Upper limb Shoulder · Axilla · Arm Elbow · Forearm Wrist · Hand · Finger (Thumb · Index · Middle · Ring · Little) Lower limb/ (see also leg) Hip · Buttocks · Thigh Knee · Calf · Crus Ankle · Heel · Foot · Toe (Hallux · Fifth) · Sole Skin Hair

This musculoskeletal system article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - ribben, ribbenssteg, ribstrikning, højreb
v. tr. - forsyne ngt. med ribber, [sl.] lave sjov med

idioms:

• rib cage    brystkasse

n. - ribbon (bånd), routing information base (ruteinformationsbase)

Nederlands (Dutch)
rib, ribbel, nerf, balein, ribbels maken, plagen

Français (French)
n. - solive, (Anat, Culin) côte, baleine (d'un parapluie), (Bot) nervure, (Archit) nervure, (Naut) membrure, (Aviat) nervure, côte (au tricot)
v. tr. - taquiner

idioms:

• rib cage    cage thoracique, thorax

n. - bateau gonflable rigide

Deutsch (German)
n. - Rippe, Speiche, Schaft, (ugs.) Witz
v. - rippen, (ugs.) aufziehen

idioms:

• rib cage    Brustkorb

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ανατ.) πλευρά, πλευρό (κν. παϊδι), νεύρο (φύλλου), ράβδωση, ρυτίδωση (σε άμμο)
v. - εμπαίζω κοροϊδεύω, περιπαίζω, πειράζω, τσιγκλίζω

idioms:

• rib cage    (ανατ.) θωρακική κοιλότητα

Italiano (Italian)
costola, travetto, scanalatura, venatura

idioms:

• rib cage    cassa toracica

Português (Portuguese)
n. - costela (f), aresta (f)
v. - reforçar com vigas

idioms:

• rib cage    costelas (Anat.)

Русский (Russian)
ребро, фланец, рубчик, жилка (листа), дразнить, разыгрывать

idioms:

• rib cage    грудная клетка

Español (Spanish)
n. - costilla, nervio, nervadura, estría, vena
v. tr. - afianzar con pestañas o rebordes, reforzar con cuadernas o costillas, acanalar

idioms:

• rib cage    tórax, caja torácica

n. - tipo de bote inflable (Rigid Inflatable Boat)

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - revben, revbensspjäll, räffla, skämt
v. - räffla

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
肋骨, 肋状物

肋骨, 肋状物, 嘲弄, 取笑, 用肋状物支撑

idioms:

• rib cage    胸廓, 胸腔

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 肋骨, 肋狀物

n. - 肋骨, 肋狀物
v. tr. - 嘲弄, 取笑, 用肋狀物支撐

idioms:

• rib cage    胸廓, 胸腔

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 늑골, 엽맥, 갈빗대 모양의 것
v. tr. - ~에 늑골을 붙이다, 늑골로 두르다, ~에 이랑을 만들다

n. - (선체가 섬유유리로 된) 작은 보트

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 肋骨, 骨付きあばら肉, 畝, 肋材, 骨, うね, あぜ
v. - 肋材を付ける, 畝を立てる, からかう

idioms:

• rib cage    胸郭

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ضلع, زوجه, نكته (فعل) يضلع, يسخر من‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צלע, עורק-עלה, פס בולט (באריג), קנה-מטרייה, לוח-חיזוק (בסירה)‬
v. tr. - ‮התקין צלעות, חיזק בלוחות, סימן פסים, קנטר, לעג‬
n. - ‮סירה פתוחה קטנה עם גוף גוף פיברגלס וצלעות גומי מתנפחות‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.