muscle

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See also: musclé

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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
    • 1701, Nehemiah Grew, “Of the Use of Organized Bodies”, in Cosmologia Sacra: Or A Discourse of the Universe as It is the Creature and Kingdom of God. […], London: […] W[illiam] Rogers, S[amuel] Smith, and B[enjamin] Walford: […], →OCLC, 1st book, paragraph 18, page 27:
      For as the Trunk of the Body, is kept from tilting forvvard by the Muſcules of the Back: So, from falling backvvard, by theſe of the Belly.
  2. (countable) An organ composed of muscle tissue.
  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, figurative) 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.
    • 2022 January 12, Christian Wolmar, “A new year... but the same old mistakes are being made”, in RAIL, number 948, pages 40–41:
      How can the unions - or more specifically the RMT—possibly think this is a good time to exert a bit of industrial muscle and indulge in strikes both on the national railway and the London Underground?
  5. (uncountable, figurative) Hired strongmen or bodyguards.
    • 1985, Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, page 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.

Alternative forms

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Hypernyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To use force to make progress, especially physical force.
    He muscled his way through the crowd.
    • 1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in 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.
    • 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 236:
      Nothing the Nebraskans ever again recorded managed to muscle more than minimal attention.
    • 2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 112:
      "Here!" I passed out stacks of money. T.C. hadn't had time to batch it up, so some of it was just laying loose in money bags and I passed all that shit out to Rome while Pimp muscled Miss Lady around.
  2. (intransitive) To move forcefully or with great strength.
    She muscled through the ruins.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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Anagrams

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Catalan

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FWOTD – 26 July 2019

Etymology

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Inherited from Latin musculus, doublet of múscul (“muscle”) and musclo (“mussel”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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muscle m (plural muscles)

  1. shoulder
    Synonym: espatlla
    • 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.

Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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muscle m (plural muscles)

  1. muscle (contractile tissue, strength)

Derived terms

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Verb

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muscle

  1. inflection of muscler:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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Middle English

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Etymology 1

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From Old English muscelle, from Late Latin mūscula (“mussel”). Reinforced by Old French mosle.

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈmus(k)əl/, /ˈmus(k)lə/

Noun

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muscle (plural muscles)

  1. mussel (bivalve)
  2. (rare) A sort of siege engine.
Descendants
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  • English: mussel
  • Scots: mushle
  • → Welsh: misgl
References
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Etymology 2

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From Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus (“muscle”).

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈmusəl/, /ˈmuslə/, /ˈmuskiu̯l(ə)/

Noun

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muscle (plural muscles)

  1. (anatomy) muscle
Descendants
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References
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Middle French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin musculus.

Noun

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muscle m (plural muscles)

  1. (anatomy) muscle

Descendants

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Norman

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Etymology

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

Noun

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muscle m (plural muscles)

  1. (anatomy) muscle

Occitan

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Etymology

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From Latin mūsculus.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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muscle m (plural muscles)

  1. muscle
  2. mussel

Further reading

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  • Joan de Cantalausa (2006) Diccionari general occitan a partir dels parlars lengadocians‎[1], 2 edition, →ISBN, page 667.

Old English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Late Latin mūscula, from Latin mūsculus.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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muscle f

  1. mussel
    • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
      Swylċe ēac þēos eorþe is berende missenlīcra fugela ⁊ sǣwihta ⁊ hēr bēoþ oft fanġene seolas ⁊ hronas and mereswȳn; ⁊ hēr bēoþ oft numene missenlīcra cynna weolcsċylle ⁊ muscule, ⁊ on þām oft ġemette þā betstan meregrotan ǣlces hīwes.
      This land also bears various birds and sea creatures, and seals, porpoises, and dolphins are often caught here; and various kinds of shellfish and mussel are often taken, and in them the best pearls of every color are often found.

Declension

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Declension of muscle (weak)
Case Singular Plural
nominative muscle musclan
accusative musclan musclan
genitive musclan musclena
dative musclan musclum

Descendants

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References

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