sternocleidomastoides

Latin

Etymology

From sternum (“the breastbone”) +‎ Ancient Greek κλείς (kleís, “the collarbone”) +‎ mastoīdēs (“like a breast”). Doublet of sternocleidomastoīdeus.

Pronunciation

• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ster.no.kle.i.do.mas.toˈi.des/, [st̪ernokleid̪omäst̪oˈiːd̪es]

Adjective

sternocleidomastoīdēs (neuter sternocleidomastoīdes or sternocleidomastoīdēs); third-declension one-termination adjective (Greek-type) (New Latin)

1. (anatomy) Of or pertaining to the breastbone, collarbone and the mastoid process of the temporal bone; sternocleidomastoid.

Inflection

Third-declension one-termination adjective (Greek-type).

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	sternocleidomastoīdēs	sternocleidomastoīdes1 sternocleidomastoīdēs		sternocleidomastoīdēs	sternocleidomastoīda sternocleidomastoīdia2
Genitive	sternocleidomastoīdis			sternocleidomastoīdum sternocleidomastoīdium2
Dative	sternocleidomastoīdī			sternocleidomastoīdibus
Accusative	sternocleidomastoīdem	sternocleidomastoīdes1 sternocleidomastoīdēs		sternocleidomastoīdēs	sternocleidomastoīda sternocleidomastoīdia2
Ablative	sternocleidomastoīde sternocleidomastoīdī2			sternocleidomastoīdibus
Vocative	sternocleidomastoīdes1 sternocleidomastoīdēs			sternocleidomastoīdēs	sternocleidomastoīda sternocleidomastoīdia2

¹It is unknown if Classical Latin preserved (or would have preserved) the shortness of the original Greek short ending.
²It is unknown whether adjectives of this type would use i-stem or consonant-stem endings in Classical Latin: the relevant forms are not attested. Depending on the word, either ending or both may be attested in New Latin.

Descendants

• → English: sternocleidomastoid