Afrikaans

Noun

spier ‎(plural spiere)

1. muscle

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spiːr/
• Rhymes: -iːr

Etymology

From Middle Dutch spier ‎(“pointed object; blade of grass; long pole; muscle”), from Old Dutch *spīr, from Proto-Germanic *spīraz. In Middle Dutch, the word took the meaning "muscle", likely due to the similarities in shape between its earlier meanings and muscle fibers.

Cognate with English spire, German Spier ‎(“spar”), Swedish spira.

Noun

spier f ‎(plural spieren, diminutive spiertje n)

1. (anatomy) muscle (contractile tissue)
2. (archaic) blade (of a plant)
3. (archaic) blade of grass
4. spar (pole)

Noun

spier n ‎(uncountable)

1. (anatomy, dated) the collective of muscles

Synonyms

• (blade of a plant): spriet, halm
• (blade of grass): grasspriet, grashalm
• (spar): rondhout

Derived terms

• armspier, beenspier, buikspier, bilspier, hartspier, oogspier
• gespierd
• spierwit
• spierversterken, spierversterking

Descendants

• Afrikaans: spier

Anagrams

• prise