muscle

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.

• enPR: mŭsʹəl, IPA^(key): /ˈmʌs.əl/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ʌsəl
• Homophone: mussel

muscle (countable and uncountable, plural muscles)

1. (uncountable) A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement.

   Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments.

   Synonym: thew

2. (countable) An organ composed of muscle tissue.
   • 1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 8, in Riders of the Purple Sage: A Novel, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, OCLC 6868219:

     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 August 17, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], 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 […]

3. (uncountable, usually 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.

4. (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.

5. (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.

• myology
• myotomy

muscle (third-person singular simple present muscles, present participle muscling, simple past and past participle muscled)

1. 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.

• outmuscle

• mouse

• clumse

From Latin musculus, doublet of múscul and musclo.

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /ˈmus.klə/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈmus.kle/

muscle m (plural muscles)

1. shoulder
   • 2000, Francesc Serés, Els ventres de la terra, Columna, page 41:

     Quan ens cansem ella recolza el cap al meu muscle.

     When we get tired, she rests her head on my shoulder.

   Synonym: espatlla

• “muscle” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “muscle” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “muscle” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “muscle” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From Middle French muscle, a borrowing from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”). See also the inherited doublet moule (“mussel, clam”).

• IPA^(key): /myskl/

• audio

  (file)

muscle m (plural muscles)

1. muscle (contractile tissue, strength)

muscle

1. first-person singular present indicative of muscler
2. third-person singular present indicative of muscler
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of muscler
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of muscler
5. second-person singular imperative of muscler

• “muscle” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Borrowed from Latin musculus.

muscle m (plural muscles)

1. (anatomy) muscle

• French: muscle

Borrowed from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”), from Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs, “mouse, muscle, mussel”).

muscle m (plural muscles)

1. (anatomy) muscle

From Latin mūsculus.

muscle m (plural muscles)

1. muscle
2. mussel

• Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians, 2 edition, →ISBN, page 667.