Collarbone
/ˈkɒl.ə.bəʊn/noun
The bone that connects the breastbone to the shoulder blade, also called the clavicle.
Did you know?The scientific name clavicle comes from Latin clavicula, meaning “little key,” because the bone was imagined as the key that opens the shoulder joint.
Etymological Timeline
Modern English
English
collarbone
“The common name for the clavicle, the slender bone across the top of the chest.”
Middle English
English
coler bon
“Literally “collar bone,” a descriptive compound for the bone near the neck opening of a garment.”
Old French
French
colier
“Neck-band or collar; the source of English collar.”
Late Latin
Latin
collare
“A neck-band or collar.”
Latin
Latin
collum
“Neck.”
Latin
Latin
clavicula
“Little key; the anatomical term for the clavicle.”
Explore more surprising origins