muscle | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

62 entries found.

late 14c., "consisting of muscle and flesh," also "plump," from flesh (n.) + -y (2). Related: Fleshiness.

"a square-shaped muscle," 1727, from Latin quadratus "square, squared," past participle of quadrare "to square, make square; put in order," related to quadrus "a square," quattuor "four" (from PIE root *kwetwer- "four"). Especially the Quadratus femoris, the muscle situated at the back of the hip-joint.

gluteus (n.)

buttocks muscle, 1680s, from Modern Latin glutaeus, from Greek gloutos "the rump," in plural, "the buttocks."

soleus (n.)

muscle of the calf of the leg, 1670s, Modern Latin, from Latin solea "sole" (see sole (n.1)). So called for its flatness.

beefy (adj.)

"brawny, fleshy and solid," 1743, from beef (n.) in colloquial extended sense "human muscle" + -y (2). Related: Beefiness.

myalgia (n.)

"muscular pain and tenderness," 1827, coined in Modern Latin (on analogy of neuralgia) from myo- "muscle" + -algia "pain." Related: Myalgic.

trapezius (n.)

muscle over the back of the neck, 1704, from Modern Latin trapezius (musculus), masc. adjective from trapezium (see trapezium). So called from the shape they form.

quadricep (n.)

large extensor muscle of the thigh, 1840, Modern Latin, from quadri- on model of bicep (q.v.). Related: Quadriceps. So called because divided into four parts.

myocardium (n.)

"muscular substance of the heart," 1866, from myo- "muscle" + Latinized form of Greek kardia "heart" (from PIE root *kerd- "heart"). Related: Myocardial; myocardiac; myocarditis.

phrenic (adj.)

"of or pertaining to the diaphragm," 1704, from Modern Latin phrenicus, from Greek phrēn "the diaphragm, muscle which parts the heart and lungs from the digestive organs" (see phreno-).

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