clavicle

Where does the word "clavicle" come from? It comes from Latin clavicula, and was adopted directly into English (1610s).

Clavicle’s story begins in Latin: clavicula meant “a little key.” Literally a little key, a diminutive of clavis (key), describing the bone's key-like shape. It reached English by 1610s as clavicle. Latin 'little key', from the bone's shape, like an old bolt key. Today, clavicle means the collarbone, connecting the shoulder blade to the breastbone.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient clavicula "a little key", literally a little key, a diminutive of clavis (key), describing the bone's key-like shape.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1610s clavicle "the collarbone", Latin 'little key', from the bone's shape, like an old bolt key.