Meaning & use
solar plexus
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Meanings
nounsingularmedical
A dense network of nerves behind the stomach that serves many of the organs in the upper abdomen.
Grammar: Takes the: the solar plexus.
The solar plexus is a bundle of nerves behind the stomach.
Doctors describe the solar plexus as part of the autonomic nervous system.
Damage near the solar plexus can disturb digestion.
nounsingularinformal
The soft area of the body just below the breastbone, where a hard blow causes sudden breathlessness.
Grammar: Informal use: a punch to the solar plexus.
Patterns
- a blow to the solar plexus
The ball struck him in the solar plexus and he gasped.
Boxers are taught to guard the solar plexus.
She winded herself with an elbow to the solar plexus.
Common combinations
- punch to the solar plexus
- A punch to the solar plexus knocked the wind out of him.
- strike the solar plexus
- Never strike the solar plexus in training without protection.
- solar plexus chakra
- Yoga teachers connect the solar plexus chakra with confidence.
- in the solar plexus
- He felt tension in his solar plexus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- celiac plexus
- This is the medical name for the same nerve network and is used in clinical writing.
- pit of the stomach
- This is an everyday phrase used for emotional feelings such as dread, not for the anatomical network.
Word family
Commonly confused: solar plexus or diaphragm?
solar plexus vs diaphragm
The diaphragm is the muscle that helps you breathe and lies above the solar plexus, though a blow to the plexus can disturb it.
Practice
Where is the solar plexus?
Choose one answer.
The solar plexus is a nerve network behind the stomach, felt just under the breastbone. The other places are unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “solar plexus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.