The chest is called the thorax, which starts from the neck and ends at the abdomen, while the breast is located on the upper ventral part of a primate’s torso. The breast is the part of the chest as the breast is in between the neck and the abdomen. Thorax contains the heart, lungs, the other major muscles, and glands.
Both women and men have breasts because it’s the part of the chest and the human body. Female breasts, however, are considered sexual, and it’s also a provider of nutrition for infants.
Here is a table for the difference between breast and chest.
| Breast | Chest |
| The breast is a part of the chest | The chest is also called the thorax |
| The breast is refer to the area surrounding the nipples | The part from the neck to the abdomen is called the chest |
| For the female nipular area breast is used more often | For the male nipular area chest is used commonly |
Keep reading to know more.
The Chest
The biological word for chest is the thorax, it’s an anatomical part of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals and it’s located between the neck and the abdomen. However, the thorax of insects, crustaceans, as well as extinct trilobites, consists of three chief divisions. The human thorax contains the thoracic cavity ( also known as the chest cavity) and the thoracic wall (also known as the chest wall), within are organs which include, the heart, lungs, the thymus gland, muscles, and various other internal structures.
The contents of the thorax are:
- Heart
- Lungs
- Thymus gland
- Major and minor pectoral muscles
- Trapezius muscles
- Neck muscle
The internal structure contains, the diaphragm, the esophagus, and the trachea, as well as a part of the sternum which is known as the xiphoid process. Moreover, arteries and veins are also within the internal structure, bones are also a part of that (the shoulder socket which contains the upper section of the humerus, the scapula, sternum, thoracic portion which is in the spine, collarbone, and the rib cage and floating ribs).
Chest pain is quite common, thus one should know what is the cause of that pain; therefore watch the video below to gain more knowledge.
The external structure contains the skin and the nipples.
In the human body, the section of the thorax which is between the neck and the diaphragm in the front is referred to as the chest.
Furthermore, the bones of the thorax are known as the “thoracic skeleton“. The number of ribs of the thorax ascends from 1-to 12, and the 11 and 12 are called floating ribs because they don’t have anterior attachment points like 1 through 7 have. The bones of the thorax protect the heart, and the lungs, as well as the major blood vessels known as the aorta.
The anatomy of the chest is described by utilizing anatomical landmarks. In males, the nipple is located in the front of the fourth rib or slightly below. Vertically, it’s situated a little externally to the line which is drawn down from the middle area of the clavicle, in the case of females, it isn’t very constant. Below it, you can see the lower limit of the pectoral muscle which is running upwards as well as outwards to the axilla, in female this area is hidden by the breasts, which extends vertically from the second rib all the way to the sixth rib and from the edge of sternum to the line of mid-axillary. The female nipple is covered for half an inch by a pigmented disc, called an areola. The peak of a normal heart is situated in the fifth left intercostal space which is three and a half inches from the mid-line.
The Breast
The breast is situated on the upper ventral part of a primate’s torso. Both females and males grow breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as a gland called the mammary gland, which functions to produce and secrete milk to feed infants. Subcutaneous fat covers and wraps a network of ducts that meet on the nipple, and these are the tissues that give the breast its size as well as shape.
At the ends of these ducts are lobules, where milk is produced and stored in the response to hormonal signals. At the time of pregnancy, there are many interactions of hormones that the breast responds to, which can include estrogens and progesterone.
Only humans are the animals who grow permanent breasts. At puberty, estrogens and growth hormones in conjunction, begin permanent breast growth in females. Along with a provider of nutrition for infants, female breasts have other characteristics like social and sexual. The breast has a huge feature in ancient as well as modern sculpture, art, and photography. Female breasts are regarded as sexually attractive, and there are few cultures where female breasts are associated with sexuality, especially in a nipular area that is considered an erogenous zone.
Are breasts on the chest?
The chest starts from the neck and ends at the abdomen, which means breasts are on the chest.
The chest is also known as the thorax in which the major glands and organs are located, while breasts are situated on the upper ventral part of the torso.
The breast is the part of the chest and can be called the chest for females. Female breasts are the provider of nutrition for infants, however, they have asocial and sexual characteristics. When we say chest, we usually think of the male part where the nipples are, but it’s incorrect because the chest is the whole upper body, from the neck to the abdomen.
Furthermore, female breasts serve as the mammary glands as they are responsible for the production and lactation of milk.
Both female and male bodies have glandular tissue in the breasts, but female glandular tissue starts developing after puberty and is generally larger in size than males.
Can we say chest for a woman?
Both men and women have breasts as well as the chest, the area from the neck to the abdomen is called the chest, and the nipular area, as well as the part which tends to extend outwards, is called the breast.
The breast is usually used for women’s nipular area, while the chest is used for men’s nipular area. Nonetheless, both can be used interchangeably for males as well as females.
The chest can be used for women’s breasts as well, but the proper word is breast for the part of the chest which is surrounding the nipular area.
Every person has their own way of perceiving the words chest and breast, for some people the chest is the whole part, from the neck to the abdomen, while for some it’s the part where nipples are located.
Today, for the nipular area of females and males, the breast is for females and the chest is for males.
Is a male chest also called a breast?
The breast is the part of the chest that surrounds the nipples, and as we know both females and males have nipples, thus the male chest can be called the breast.
However, for males, this is regarded as impolite, because the breast word has been used for the nipular area of female humans.
While the female breast is considered an erotic part due to society’s objectification of women, men’s breast is considered merely a part of the human body which can only be referred to as the chest.
As the chest referred to the region which starts from the neck, and ends at the abdomen, the area surrounding the nipples is a part of the chest, but is called the breast. Mostly the word breast is used for females, while the chest is used for males. Furthermore, in females, the breast develops as it’s a provider of milk for infants, whereas in males the “breast” neither functions nor develops.
What is a male’s chest called?
The human chest itself is also known as the thorax. It consists of a rib cage and within that, the heart, lungs, and various glands are located. As the part from the neck to the abdomen is the thorax, thus the nipples and the area that surrounds it is called the breast.
The breast word is used to refer to the nipular area of a female’s body, and the chest is used for a male’s body.
However, you can use the word chest as well as breast to refer to the male’s nipular area and the area surrounding it. Mostly chest is used for male bodies.
Female breasts have given an erotic connotation, thus it could be one of the reasons that a male’s “chest” isn’t referred to as a breast.
To Conclude
Every human has a chest, the chest is referred to as the region that starts from the neck and ends at the abdomen. The breast is referred to as the part where the nipple is situated.
The word “breast” can be used for men and women, however, it’s commonly used for women, and the chest is used for men.
Female breasts have been regarded as an erotic zone, and have been featured in ancient as well as modern art and sculptures.
There is nothing derogatory about referring to the male nipular area as breast, however, if one doesn’t prefer it then it doesn’t mean that it was disrespectful. Every person has their own ways of perceiving the words breast and chest.