Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Muscle
Mus′cle
(mŭs′’l)
, Noun.
[F., fr. L.
musculus
a muscle, a little mouse, dim. of mus
a mouse. See Mouse
, and cf. sense 3 (below).] 1.
(Anat.)
(a)
An organ which, by its contraction, produces motion.
See Illust. of Muscles of the Human Body, in Appendix. (b)
The contractile tissue of which muscles are largely made up.
☞ Muscles are of two kinds, striated and nonstriated. The striated muscles, which, in most of the higher animals, constitute the principal part of the flesh, exclusive of the fat, are mostly under the control of the will, or voluntary, and are made up of great numbers of elongated fibres bound together into bundles and inclosed in a sheath of connective tissue, the
The nonstriated muscles are involuntary . They constitute a large part of the walls of the alimentary canal, blood vessels, uterus, and bladder, and are found also in the iris, skin, etc. They are made up of greatly elongated cells, usually grouped in bundles or sheets.perimysium
. Each fiber is inclosed in a delicate membrane (the sarcolemma
), is made up of alternate segments of lighter and darker material which give it a transversely striated appearance, and contains, scattered through its substance, protoplasmic nuclei, the so-called muscle corpuscles
. 2.
Muscular strength or development;
as, to show one’s
. muscle
by lifting a heavy weight[Colloq.]
3.
[AS.
muscle
, L. musculus
a muscle, mussel. See above.] (Zool.)
See
Mussel
. Muscle curve
(Physiol.)
, contraction curve of a muscle; a myogram; the curve inscribed, upon a prepared surface, by means of a myograph when acted upon by a contracting muscle. The character of the curve represents the extent of the contraction.
Webster 1828 Edition
Muscle
MUS'CLE
,Noun.
1.
In anatomy,the muscles are the organs of motion, consisting of fibers or bundles of fibers inclosed in a thin cellular membrane. The muscles are susceptible of contraction and relaxation, and in a healthy state the proper muscles are subject to the will, and are called voluntary muscles. But other parts of the body, as the heart, the urinary bladder, the stomach, &c. are of a muscular texture, and susceptible of contraction and dilatation, but are not subject to the will, and are therefore called involuntary muscles. The red color of the muscles is owing to the blood vessels which they contain. The ends of the muscles are fastened to the bones which they move, and when they act in opposition to each other, they are called antagonists.Muscles are divided into the head, belly and tail. The head is the part fixed on the immovable joint called its origin, and is usually tendinous; the belly is the middle fleshy part,which consists of the true muscular fibers; the tail is the tendinous portion inserted into the part to be moved, called the insertion; but in the tendon, the fibers are more compact than in the belly of the muscle,and do not admit the red globules.
2.
A bivalvular shell fish of the genus Mytilus; sometimes written mussel.Definition 2024
muscle
muscle
See also: musclé
English
Alternative forms
- muskle
Noun
muscle (countable and uncountable, plural muscles)
- (uncountable) A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement.
- Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments.
- (countable) An organ composed of muscle tissue.
- 1912, Zane Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage, Chapter 8
- His brow and hair and the palms of his hands were wet, and there was a kind of nervous contraction of his muscles. They seemed to ripple and string tense.
- 1945 May, George Orwell, chapter 1, in Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, London: Secker & Warburg, OCLC 3655473:
- You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker […]
- 1912, Zane Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage, Chapter 8
- (uncountable, chiefly in the plural) A well-developed physique, in which the muscles are enlarged from exercise.
- 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii
- The fact that I was middle-aged, bald, married, and raising girls instead of chasing them didn't really bother me. Muscles are cool at any age.
- 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii
- (uncountable, figuratively) Strength, force.
- 2010, Adam Quinn, US Foreign Policy in Context, page 81
- The lesson to be drawn from the events of 1914, to Roosevelt's mind, was that civilization needed muscle to defend it, not just solemn words.
- 2013, John D. MacDonald, The Long Lavender Look, page 15
- It was going to take muscle to pluck Miss Agnes out of the canal.
- 2010, Adam Quinn, US Foreign Policy in Context, page 81
- (uncountable, figuratively) Hired strongmen or bodyguards.
- 1985 — Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, p 34
- It was easy enough to dodge him, let him crash into the floorboards. Peltroc knew that his priority was the leader, not the hired muscle.
- 1985 — Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, p 34
Derived terms
Terms derived from muscle
Translations
contractile tissue
|
|
organ composed of muscle tissue
|
|
well-developed physique
|
|
strength, force
See also
Verb
muscle (third-person singular simple present muscles, present participle muscling, simple past and past participle muscled)
- To use force to make progress, especially physical force.
- He muscled his way through the crowd.
- 1988, Steve Holman, "Christian Conquers Columbus", Ironman 47 (6): 28-34.
- Hensel and Wilson hit a series of leg shots simultaneously as Christian muscles between them with Quinn right on his heels.
Derived terms
Translations
Related terms
Homophones
French
Etymology
From Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”). See also the inherited moule.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /myskl/
Noun
muscle m (plural muscles)
- muscle (contractile tissue, strength)
Verb
muscle
- first-person singular present indicative of muscler
- third-person singular present indicative of muscler
- first-person singular present subjunctive of muscler
- first-person singular present subjunctive of muscler
- second-person singular imperative of muscler