clavicle /klav″ikəl/ [L, clavicula, little key] , a long, curved, horizontal bone directly above the first rib, forming the ventral portion of the shoulder girdle. It articulates medially with the sternum and laterally with the acromion of the scapula and accommodates the attachment of numerous muscles. It is shorter, thinner, less curved, and smoother in the female than in the male and is thicker, more curved, and more prominently ridged for muscle attachment in persons performing consistent strenuous manual labor. Also called collarbone.
