June 17, 2011
- muscle (noun)
- \MUSS-ul\
- What does it mean?
- 1 a : a body tissue consisting of long cells that can contract and produce motion b : an organ that is a mass of muscle tissue attached at either end (as to bones) and that by contracting moves or checks the movement of a body part2 a : muscular strength : brawn b : power
- How do you use it?
- Rosario's muscles were sore the day after the long bike ride.
- Are you a word wiz?
The word "muscle" traces to the Latin "musculus," a word inspired by the name of an animal. Which animal's name do you think gave us both "musculus" and "muscle"?
Eek! Few people today are likely to think of their muscles as resembling mice. But the ancient Romans must have seen a similarity between those fuzzy rodents and human muscles, especially in the major muscles of the arms and legs. For that reason, the Latin word "musculus," which originally meant "little mouse," came to be used to mean "muscle." Later, the Latin word "musculus" was adopted into French with the spelling "muscle." English speakers borrowed the word from French in the 14th century.
