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Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Muscles, Joints and Movement

Muscle

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/ˈmʌsəl/nounCore term

In anatomy & physiology, muscle means: A tissue or organ made of cells that can contract (shorten) to produce movement or force. The three types are skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle.

In Turkish: kas

How it is used

Muscles contract and relax; they can be strained, torn or weak. Many muscle names are Latin and are kept as they are in English, such as biceps brachii or gluteus maximus. The adjective is muscular.

Example sentences

  1. The biceps muscle helps to bend the elbow.

  2. Cardiac muscle contracts on its own, without conscious control.

Common collocations

  • skeletal muscle
  • smooth muscle
  • muscle fiber
  • muscle strength
  • pull a muscle
  • skeletal muscleMuscle attached to bones that moves the skeleton and is under voluntary (conscious) control. Under the microscope its long fibers look striped, so it is also called striated muscle.
  • tendonA strong cord of fibrous tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone, so that when the muscle contracts it pulls on the bone.
  • contractionThe shortening or tightening of a muscle when its fibers are stimulated, producing movement or force. In the heart, contraction pushes blood out of the chambers.
  • jointA place where two or more bones meet. Some joints, like the knee, move freely; others, like those between the bones of the skull, hardly move at all.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Muscles, Joints and Movement

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.