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xiphoid process

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | 338 words | Copyright

xiphoid process (xiphoid cartilage) (zif-oid) n. the lowermost section of the breastbone (see sternum): a flat pointed cartilage that gradually ossifies until it is completely replaced by bone, a process not completed until after middle age. It does not articulate with any ribs. Also called: ensiform process or cartilage, xiphisternum.

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