pigeon breast

Thân thiện

A young child with a pigeon breast stands for a medical checkup.

Definition

Noun: A deformity of the chest characterized by a prominent, protruding sternum (breastbone), often caused by a nutritional deficiency of vitamin D or calcium, historically associated with the disease rickets.

Usage

This is a medical term used to describe a specific physical condition. It is typically used in clinical, anatomical, or historical contexts.

Examples

• The pediatrician noted signs of pigeon breast in the malnourished child.
• In severe cases of rickets, skeletal deformities such as pigeon breast can occur.
• The condition known as pigeon breast is less common in countries with fortified foods.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used descriptively outside of strict medical diagnosis to describe a similar chest shape.
  • Some breeds of birds, like the actual pigeon, naturally have a pigeon breast-like keel bone.

Variants and Related Words

• Pectus carinatum: The formal medical Latin term for this condition.
• Rickets: The disease most historically associated with causing this deformity.
• Kyphosis: An abnormal curvature of the spine that can sometimes be related.

Synonyms

• Pectus carinatum (medical synonym)
• Protruding sternum (descriptive synonym)

Antonyms

• Pectus excavatum: A condition where the breastbone sinks into the chest (funnel chest).

Notes on Meaning

This term refers specifically to the abnormal human anatomical condition. While the name derives from a resemblance to a bird's chest, it is not used to describe the normal anatomy of a pigeon or other birds in standard English.

Học thuật

Noun

1. abnormal protrusion of the breastbone caused by rickets

Từ đồng nghĩa

• chicken breast