From Greek sternon (chest/breastbone), likely from the PIE root meaning to spread flat — describing the chest's broad surface
The flat bone at the front of the chest that connects to the ribs, commonly called the breastbone
From Latin 'sternum', borrowed from Greek 'sternon' meaning chest or breastbone. The Greek word may derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *ster- meaning to spread or stretch out, referring to the broad, flat surface of the chest. The same root produced Latin 'sternere' (to spread out, to lay flat) and English words like strew, strata, and street. The anatomical term entered English medical vocabulary through New Latin in the 17th century. Key roots: *ster- (Proto-Indo-European: "to spread out, to stretch flat").
The sternum is one of the last bones in the body to fully fuse. Its three sections — the manubrium, body, and xiphoid process — do not completely ossify into a single piece until around age 25, and the xiphoid tip may remain partly cartilaginous for life. Forensic anthropologists use sternal fusion patterns to estimate age at death.