Breast : (noun)
1: the front part of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen;
"he beat his breast in anger"
2: either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on
the chest of a woman [syn: bosom, knocker, boob, tit,
titty]
3: meat carved from the breast of a fowl [syn: white meat]
(verb)
1: meet at breast level; "The runner breasted the tape"
2: reach the summit; "They breasted the mountain"
3: confront bodily; "breast the storm" [syn: front]
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Breast : \Breast\ (br[e^]st), n. [OE. brest, breost, As.
bre['o]st; akin to Icel. brj[=o]st, Sw. br["o]st, Dan. bryst,
Goth. brusts, OS. briost, D. borst, G. brust.]
1. The fore part of the body, between the neck and the belly;
the chest; as, the breast of a man or of a horse.
2. Either one of the protuberant glands, situated on the
front of the chest or thorax in the female of man and of
some other mammalia, in which milk is secreted for the
nourishment of the young; a mamma; a teat.
My brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother.
--Cant. viii.
1.
3. Anything resembling the human breast, or bosom; the front
or forward part of anything; as, a chimney breast; a plow
breast; the breast of a hill.
Mountains on whose barren breast The laboring clouds
do often rest. --Milton.
4. (Mining)
(a) The face of a coal working.
(b) The front of a furnace.
5. The seat of consciousness; the repository of thought and
self-consciousness, or of secrets; the seat of the
affections and passions; the heart.
He has a loyal breast. --Shak.
6. The power of singing; a musical voice; -- so called,
probably, from the connection of the voice with the lungs,
which lie within the breast. [Obs.]
By my troth, the fool has an excellent breast.
--Shak.
Breast drill, a portable drilling machine, provided with a
breastplate, for forcing the drill against the work.
Breast pang. See Angina pectoris, under Angina.
To make a clean breast, to disclose the secrets which weigh
upon one; to make full confession.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Brest \Brest\,Breast : \Breast\, n. (Arch.)
A torus. [Obs.]
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
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Breast : Breast: The breast refers to the front of the chest or, more specifically, to the mammary gland. The mammary gland is a milk producing gland. It is composed largely of fat. Within the mammary
gland is a complex network of branching ducts. These ducts exit from sac-like structures called lobules, which can produce milk in females. The ducts exit the breast at the nipple.
The breast has been viewed as an organ designed to produce milk. The lobules are the glands that produce the breast milk. The ducts are tubes or channels which transport the milk from these glands
out to the nipple. The nipple becomes erect because of cold, breast feeding and sexual activity. The pigmented area around the nipple is called the areola.
The lobules and ducts are supported in the breast by surrounding fatty tissue and ligaments. There are no muscles in the breast.
There are blood vessels and lymphatics in the breast. The lymphatics are thin channels similar to blood vessels; they do not carry blood but collect and carry tissue fluid which ultimately reenters
the blood stream. Breast tissue fluid drains through the lymphatics into the lymph nodes located in the underarm (axilla) and behind the breast bone (sternum).
Although the primary biologic function of the breast is to make milk to feed a baby, the breast has for many centuries been a symbol of femininity and beauty. The appearance of the normal female
breast differs greatly between individuals and at different times during a woman's life -- before, during and after adolescence, during pregnancy, during the menstrual cycle, and after menopause.
Based on University of Miami School of Medicine [Medical_Dictionary]:
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Breast : What is the breast?
The breast refers generally to the front of the chest and medically specifically to the mammary gland.
(The word "mammary" comes from "mamma," the Greek and Latin word for the breast, which derives from the cry "mama" uttered by infants and young children, sometimes meaning "I want to feed at the
breast.")
How is the mammary gland designed?
The mammary gland is a milk-producing structure that is composed largely of fat cells (cells capable of storing fat). The fat deposits are laid down in the breast under the influence of the female
hormone, estrogen. Just as the surge of estrogens at adolescence encourages this process, androgens, such as testosterone, discourage it.
Within the mammary gland there is a complex network of branching ducts (tubes or channels). These ducts exit from sac-like structures called lobules.
The lobules in the breast are the glands that can produce milk in females (or rarely in males) given the appropriate hormonal stimulation.
The breast ducts transport milk from the lobules out to the nipple. The ducts exit from the breast at the nipple.
How are human breasts different than other primates?
Human breasts are unlike those of other primates. In other primates, the breasts grow only when the female is producing milk (lactating). When the primate female has weaned her young, her breasts
flatten back down. In humans, the breasts develop at adolescence usually well before any pregnancy and the breasts stay enlarged throughout the remainder of life.
What happens to the breasts in pregnancy?
During pregnancy the breasts grow further. This growth is much more uniform than that at adolescence. The breasts of a small- busted woman tend to grow about as much during pregnancy as those of a
buxom woman. The amount of milk-producing tissue is essentially the same. This is the reason that when milk production begins, small-breasted women produce as much milk as do large-breasted women.
What do the nipples and surrounding pigmented tissue function?
The nipple becomes erect because of such stimuli as cold, breast feeding, and sexual activity.
The small darkened (pigmented) area around the nipple is called the areola. (The word "areola" is the diminutive of the Latin "area" meaning a small space.) In pregnancy the areola darkens further
and spreads in size. The areola contains small modified sweat glands (Montgomery's glands) which secrete moisture that acts as a lubricant for breastfeeding .
What are other internal features of the breast?
The lobules and ducts in the breast are supported by surrounding fatty tissue and the suspensory ligaments of the breast. There are no muscles in the breast. The characteristic bounce of the breast
comes from the elasticity of the matrix of connective tissue fibers in the breast.
There are blood vessels and lymphatics in the breast. The lymphatics are thin channels similar to blood vessels; they do not carry blood but collect and carry tissue fluid which ultimately reenters
the blood stream. Breast tissue fluid drains through the lymphatics into the lymph nodes located in the underarm (axilla) and behind the breast bone (sternum).
What are cosmetic aspects of the breast?
Although the primary biologic function of the breast is to produce milk to feed a baby, the breast has for many centuries been a symbol of femininity and beauty.
Despite the contemporary concept of an ideal breast, there is no single model that is ideal. The appearance of the normal female breast differs greatly from one woman to the next and the breast of
any given woman normally differs at different times during a woman's life -- before, during and after adolescence, during pregnancy, during the menstrual cycle, and after menopause .
How does breast tissue develop in the fetus?
Breast tissue begins to originate by the fourth week of fetal life. It grows along two ridges, one on either side, running from the armpit (axilla) to the crotch. These are the milk ridges or milk
lines. Breast tissue can develop anywhere along the milk line. It is quite common to have breast tissue up toward and even in the armpit. An extra nipple can also develop anywhere along the milk line,
as can a complete auxiliary breast.
Rarely, the breast may be absent. The normal growth of the breast or nipple never takes place and there is no sign whatsoever of the breast tissue, areola or nipple.
Absence of the breast (also called amastia) frequently does not occur as the only physical problem. Unilateral amastia (amastia just on one side) is often associated with absence of the pectoral
muscles (the muscles of the front of the chest). Bilateral amastia (with absence of both breasts) is associated in 40% of cases with multiple congenital anomalies ( birth defects ) involving other
parts of the body as well.
Amastia can be distinguished from amazia -- wherein breast tissue is absent, but the nipple is present -- a condition that typically is a result of radiation or surgery.
Based on University of Miami School of Medicine [Medical_Dictionary]:
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