What is "thorax"

Thorax \Tho"rax\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?.]

1. (Anat.) The part of the trunk between the neck and the abdomen, containing that part of the body cavity the walls of which are supported by the dorsal vertebr[ae], the ribs, and the sternum, and which the heart and lungs are situated; the chest.

   Note: In mammals the thoracic cavity is completely separated from the abdominal by the diaphragm, but in birds and many reptiles the separation is incomplete, while in other reptiles, and in amphibians and fishes, there is no marked separation and no true thorax.

2. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. The middle region of the body of an insect, or that region which bears the legs and wings. It is composed of three united somites, each of which is composed of several distinct parts. See Illust. in Appendix. and Illust. of Coleoptera.

   2. The second, or middle, region of the body of a crustacean, arachnid, or other articulate animal. In the case of decapod Crustacea, some writers include under the term thorax only the three segments bearing the maxillipeds; others include also the five segments bearing the legs. See Illust. in Appendix.

3. (Antiq.) A breastplate, cuirass, or corselet; especially, the breastplate worn by the ancient Greeks.

"chest of the body," late 14c., from Latin thorax "the breast, chest; breastplate," from Greek thorax (genitive thorakos) "breastplate, chest," of unknown origin.

n. 1 The region of the mammalian body between the neck and abdomen as well as the cavity containing the heart and lungs. 2 The middle of three distinct divisions in an insect, crustacean or arachnid body.

1. n. the middle region of the body of an arthropod between the head and the abdomen

2. the part of the human body between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates [syn: chest, pectus]

3. part of an insect's body that bears the wings and legs

4. [also: thoraces (pl)]

The thorax or chest (from the Greek θώραξ thorax "breastplate, cuirass, corslet" via ) is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals located between the neck and the abdomen. The thorax includes the thoracic cavity and the thoracic wall. It contains organs including the heart, lungs, and thymus gland, as well as muscles and various other internal structures. Many diseases may affect the chest, and one of the most common symptoms is chest pain.

The thorax is the human chest, or division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.

Thorax may also refer to:

• The thorax in insects: Thorax (insect anatomy)
• Thorax Ancient Greek armour, see Linothorax.
• Thorax porcellana, a species of cockroach

Thorax is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal specialising in both clinical and experimental research articles on respiratory medicine as well as paediatrics, immunology, pharmacology, pathology, and surgery. It was established in 1946 and is published by the BMJ Group on behalf of the British Thoracic Society. The journal is available online by subscription and archived editions of the journal are available free of charge after 1 year. The editors-in-chief are Andy Bush ( Imperial College London) and Ian Pavord ( University of Oxford).

The thorax is the midsection ( tagma) of the insect body. It holds the head, legs, wings and abdomen. It is also called mesosoma in other arthropods.

It is formed by the prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax and comprises the scutellum the cervix, a membrane that separates the head from the thorax, the pleuron or lateral sclerite the thorax.

In dragonflies and damselflies the mesothorax and metathorax are fused together to form the synthorax.

In some insect pupae, like the mosquitoes', the head and thorax can be fused in a cephalothorax.

Members of sub order Apocrita (wasps, ants and bees) in the order Hymenoptera have the first segment of the abdomen fused with the thorax, which is called the propodeum.