Pectoris

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Characterizing the region of the chest or relating to the pectoral muscles associated with the thorax
2. Describing anything pertaining to the breast area, especially concerning anatomical or muscular contexts
3. Pertaining to the chest area, often in reference to muscles involved in upper body movement and stability

Etymology: "Pectoris" is a Latin genitive form, and it appears in English almost only inside medical terms such as "angina pectoris" and "pectoralis." It is the genitive of "pectus," the Latin word for breast or chest, so "angina pectoris" literally means "chest-strangling" (the genitive "of the chest" gives the sense "of the chest" as a condition). The Latin noun "pectus" is ultimately related to the Greek "pekein," meaning "to comb" or "to card wool," a link that reflects the idea of the chest as something tufted or woven, though the connection is ancient and not something speakers would have felt. The term "pectoralis," from the same root, entered English medicine through anatomical Latin, which was standardized by physicians in the 18th and 19th centuries. The muscle names "pectoralis major" and "pectoralis minor" were fixed in this Latin form, so the modern English word is essentially a Latin technical label rather than a word that passed through everyday speech.