muscle
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muscle
- /ˈmʌs.əl/
- [ˈmʌs.l̩]
Sounds like mussel · Rhymes with -ʌsəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English muscle, muscule, muskylle, and in part from Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”) because of the mouselike appearance of some muscles, from mūs (“mouse”). Doublet of mussel. More at mouse.
noun muscles · muscule
-
A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement.
Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments.
Similar: thew
- An organ composed of muscle tissue. 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.
- 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.
- Strength, force. The widely-backed campaign to recall Evan Mecham as governor of Arizona gained even more muscle when the state House of Representatives voted to impeach the ultraconservative on February 5.
- Hired strongmen or bodyguards. 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.
verb muscles · muscling · muscled
- To use force to make progress, especially physical force. He muscled his way through the crowd.
- To move forcefully or with great strength. She muscled through the ruins.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: musculus, sinew, brawn, muscular tissue, musculature, muscular, nerve, tensor, tendon, arm, eyelash, flesh, breast, hair, skin, gorilla
Translations
Every language
noun contractile tissue
| Español | músculo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 근육 geunyuk |
| 日本語 | 筋肉 kinniku, 筋 suji |
| 中文 | 肌肉 jīròu, 筋肉 jīnròu |
| हिन्दी | पेशी peśī, मांसपेशी mānspeśī |
| Kiswahili | msuli |
| Português | músculo |
| Français | muscle |
| Deutsch | Muskel |
| Italiano | muscolo |
| Ελληνικά | μυς mys |
| Română | mușchi |
| Русский | мы́шца mýšca, му́скул múskul |
| Tiếng Việt | cơ, bắp thịt, cơ bắp |
| العربية | عَضَلَة ʕaḍala |
| עברית | שְׁרִיר sh'rir |
noun organ composed of muscle tissue
| Español | músculo, murecillo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 筋肉 kinniku |
| 中文 | 肌肉 jīròu, 筋肉 jīnròu |
| हिन्दी | मांसपेशी mānspeśī |
| Kiswahili | msuli |
| Português | músculo |
| Deutsch | Muskel |
| Ελληνικά | μυς mys |
| Română | mușchi |
| Русский | мы́шца mýšca, му́скул múskul |
| العربية | عَضَلَة ʕaḍala |
noun well-developed physique
| Português | musculatura |
|---|---|
| Русский | мускулату́ра muskulatúra |
Talk about this word "muscle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/muscle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. muscle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/muscle "muscle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/muscle.Cite this
@misc{muscle_2026,
title = {muscle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/muscle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
