thorax

Everyday

1. The thorax is the middle part of an insect's body, between the head and the abdomen, where the legs and wings are attached. tree →
2. In people and other animals with backbones, the thorax is the chest, the part of the body between the neck and the belly, holding the heart and lungs. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils learn that every insect has three body parts — head, thorax and abdomen — and six legs joined to the thorax. Spiders are not insects: they have two body parts and eight legs. In human biology the thorax is protected by the ribcage. Phrases: «head, thorax and abdomen».

Examples

• An insect's legs are joined to its thorax. tree →
• The bee's thorax is fuzzy and yellow. tree →
• Label the head, thorax and abdomen of the ant. tree →
• Wings grow from the thorax. tree →
• The ribs protect the organs in the thorax. tree →
• A spider has no separate thorax; its head and thorax are joined. tree →
• The beetle's thorax is shiny and hard. tree →

Note

Plural: thoraxes (in science also thoraces). Adjective: thoracic. Trap: insects have 3 body parts and 6 legs; spiders 2 body parts (cephalothorax and abdomen) and 8 legs.