MUSCLES OF RESPIRATION. When the diaphragm contracts in inspiration, initially the lower ribs are fixed and the dome of the diaphragm descends, thus increasing the vertical diameter of thorax.
arrearage. 1  the state or condition of being in arrears. 2  Often, arrearages. arrears; amount or amounts overdue. 3  Archaic. a thing or part kept in reserve.
(August 2007) Arrears (also sometimes known as an arrearage) is a legal term for the part of a debt that is overdue after missing one or more required payments. The amount of the arrears is the amount accrued from the date on which the first missed payment was due.