See Also: Red muscle(medicine)
muscle(encyclopedia)
Tod's muscle(medicine)
MUSCLE(medicine)
muscle(2)(dictionary)
muscle(1)(dictionary)
Muscle(health)
muscle, adductor(medicine)
shawl muscle(medicine)
pubovaginal muscle(medicine)

muscle(1) (iou)



muscle noun1. Also muscule. LME.
[French from Latin musculus, from mus mouse (from the fancied mouselike form of some muscles): see -CULE.]
1. Anatomy & Physiology. Any of the fibrous bands or bundles of contractile tissue which act to produce movement in or maintain the position of parts of the human or animal body. LME.
adductor muscle, ciliary muscle, flexor muscle, pectoral muscle, etc. flex one's muscles: see FLEX verb 1. not move a muscle be perfectly motionless.
2. The part of the body consisting of muscles; muscular tissue; the substance of which muscles are composed. L18.
SKELETAL muscle. smooth muscle: see SMOOTH adjective & adverb. STRIATED muscle. STRIPED muscle.
3. (Muscular) power, strength; influence; force, violence; intimidation; manpower to exert muscular power; slang a person employed to use or threaten violence. E19.
S. Brill The Fund had used its financial muscle for investments that were radically different. B. Callaghan There was heavy-jowled Lambchops..who hired himself out as muscle to the after-hours clubs.
Comb.: muscle-bound adjective having the muscles stiff and enlarged, esp. as a result of too much exercise or training; lacking flexibility; muscle car N. Amer. slang a powerful car, spec. = hot rod (a) s.v. HOT adjective; muscle cell each of the elongated contractile cells, containing ordered actin and myosin filaments, of which muscular tissue is composed; muscle current the flow of electrical current which occurs on connecting different points of a muscle; muscle curve a curve indicating amount of muscular contraction as recorded by a myograph; muscle fibre = muscle cell above; muscle-flexing adjective demonstrating aggression or strength; muscle force the force or power of human agency; muscle-man colloq. (a) a person who employs or threatens violence on behalf of a professional criminal; (b) a person with highly developed muscles; muscle power = sense 3 above; muscle pull N. Amer. a pulled muscle; muscle scar a marking on a bone, shell, etc., indicating a point of attachment of a muscle; muscle sense kinaesthetic sense; muscle shirt N. Amer. a man's tight-fitting T-shirt; muscle spindle any of numerous small sensory organs within muscle which respond to extension and contraction of the muscle and aid coordination.
muscled adjective endowed with muscle (chiefly with qualifying adjective or adverb, as
full-muscled,
well-muscled, etc.) M17.
muscleless [-l-l-] adjective M19.
muscling noun muscular structure or development, muscles, formerly spec. as delineated or represented in art E18.
muscly adjective composed of muscle; exhibiting great muscular development: L16.