muscle


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muscle

brawn; power; force; organ that produces movement
Not to be confused with:
mussel – a bivalve mollusk or clam
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

mus·cle

 (mŭs′əl)
n.
1. A tissue composed of fibers capable of contracting to effect bodily movement.
2. A contractile organ consisting of a special bundle of muscle tissue, which moves a particular bone, part, or substance of the body: the heart muscle; the muscles of the arm.
3. Muscular strength: enough muscle to be a high jumper.
4. Informal Power or authority: put some muscle into law enforcement.
v. mus·cled, mus·cling, mus·cles
v.intr.
To make one's way by or as if by force: muscled into the conversation.
v.tr.
To move or force with strength: muscled legislation through Congress.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mūsculus, diminutive of mūs, mouse; see mūs- in Indo-European roots.]

mus′cly adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

muscle

(ˈmʌsəl)
n
1. (Anatomy) a tissue composed of bundles of elongated cells capable of contraction and relaxation to produce movement in an organ or part
2. (Anatomy) an organ composed of muscle tissue
3. strength or force
vb
(intr; often foll by in, on, etc) informal to force one's way (in)
[C16: from medical Latin musculus little mouse, from the imagined resemblance of some muscles to mice, from Latin mūs mouse]
ˈmuscly, ˈmuscley adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mus•cle

(ˈmʌs əl)

n., v. -cled, -cling. n.
1. a tissue composed of elongated cells, the contraction of which produces movement in the body.
2. a specific bundle of such tissue.
3. muscular strength; brawn.
4. power or force, esp. of a coercive nature: They put muscle into their policy and sent the marines.
v.i.
5. Informal. to make one's way by force or fraud (often fol. by in or into).
v.t.
6. Informal. to push or move by force or strength: to muscle a bill through Congress.
[1525–35; < Latin mūsculus literally, little mouse (from resemblance to some muscles) =mūs mouse + -culus -cle1]
mus′cly, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

mus·cle

(mŭs′əl)
A body tissue composed of elongated cells (called muscle fibers) that contract to produce movement. In vertebrate animals, voluntary movement is produced by the action of muscles on bone. Movement of the muscles of the heart and other organs is involuntary and controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

muscular adjective
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

muscle

- Comes from Latin musculus, "little mouse," as the ancient Romans thought their muscles wriggled like mice.
See also related terms for mice.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Muscle

 

See Also: STRENGTH

  1. The great muscles of his torso flickered and ran like the flank of a horse —Du Bose Heyward
  2. Heavily defined pectoral muscles, on which the nipples stood out like pennies —Francis King
  3. Muscled like a water buffalo —Gerald Kersh
  4. Muscles [of leg] as big as a hill —Dylan Thomas
  5. Muscles … hard and ropy like the ones on the fantastic coursing dogs in the sad stone friezes of ancient Persia —Beryl Markham
  6. Muscles … hard as iron —Jack London
  7. The muscles in his face seemed to pull together like a drawstring purse —Sue Grafton
  8. The muscles in their arms bulge out like India rubber balls —Joanna M. Glass
  9. Muscles in their backs rippled … like fretted water over a stony bed —Beryl Markham
  10. Muscles like armor plates pasted on his body —John Rechy
  11. Muscles … like blown-up balloons —François Camoin

    In his short story, A Hunk of Burning Love, Camoin completes the simile as follows: “Put a pipe in his mouth and he’d look like Popeye.”

  12. Muscles like marshmallows —Carlos Baker
  13. The muscles of his arms and back stood out beneath his fair skin like the muscles of one of Rodin’s bronze men —Louis Bromfield
  14. Muscles of his forearms … moved in ridges and hollows from a knot above his elbow, like pistons working from a cylinder —L. P. Hartley
  15. Muscles of strength rose like a collar from his neck —Arthur A. Cohen
  16. Muscles … polished like metal, pure sculpture —Vita Sackville-West
  17. Muscles pulled like cold rubber —Tony Ardizzone See Also: PAIN
  18. Muscles rippled like stretching cats —Stephen Vincent Benét
  19. Muscles stretched taut as cowhide stretched over a baseball —W. P. Kinsella
  20. Muscles that flow like a mountain stream —Ogden Nash
  21. Muscles twitching like the flesh of a horse stung by many flies —Ralph Ellison
  22. Remember … the rippling of bright muscles like a sea —Edith Sitwell
  23. The ripple of muscles goes along him, like a cat’s back arching —Margaret Atwood
  24. Wore faded denims through which his clumsy muscles bulged like animals in a sack —Ross Macdonald
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

muscle


Past participle: muscled
Gerund: muscling

Imperative
muscle
muscle
Present
I muscle
you muscle
he/she/it muscles
we muscle
you muscle
they muscle
Preterite
I muscled
you muscled
he/she/it muscled
we muscled
you muscled
they muscled
Present Continuous
I am muscling
you are muscling
he/she/it is muscling
we are muscling
you are muscling
they are muscling
Present Perfect
I have muscled
you have muscled
he/she/it has muscled
we have muscled
you have muscled
they have muscled
Past Continuous
I was muscling
you were muscling
he/she/it was muscling
we were muscling
you were muscling
they were muscling
Past Perfect
I had muscled
you had muscled
he/she/it had muscled
we had muscled
you had muscled
they had muscled
Future
I will muscle
you will muscle
he/she/it will muscle
we will muscle
you will muscle
they will muscle
Future Perfect
I will have muscled
you will have muscled
he/she/it will have muscled
we will have muscled
you will have muscled
they will have muscled
Future Continuous
I will be muscling
you will be muscling
he/she/it will be muscling
we will be muscling
you will be muscling
they will be muscling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been muscling
you have been muscling
he/she/it has been muscling
we have been muscling
you have been muscling
they have been muscling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been muscling
you will have been muscling
he/she/it will have been muscling
we will have been muscling
you will have been muscling
they will have been muscling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been muscling
you had been muscling
he/she/it had been muscling
we had been muscling
you had been muscling
they had been muscling
Conditional
I would muscle
you would muscle
he/she/it would muscle
we would muscle
you would muscle
they would muscle
Past Conditional
I would have muscled
you would have muscled
he/she/it would have muscled
we would have muscled
you would have muscled
they would have muscled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

muscle


click for a larger image
Tissue that shortens to make part of the body move. Most striated muscle is voluntary (under conscious control). Smooth muscle is involuntary (under automatic control). See cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, striated muscle.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.muscle - one of the contractile organs of the bodymuscle - one of the contractile organs of the body
contractile organ, contractor - a bodily organ that contracts
skeletal muscle, striated muscle - a muscle that is connected at either or both ends to a bone and so move parts of the skeleton; a muscle that is characterized by transverse stripes
pronator - a muscle that produces or assists in pronation
supinator - a muscle (especially in the forearm) that produces or assists in supination
levator - a muscle that serves to lift some body part (as the eyelid or lip)
antagonistic muscle - (physiology) a muscle that opposes the action of another; "the biceps and triceps are antagonistic muscles"
eye muscle, ocular muscle - one of the small muscles of the eye that serve to rotate the eyeball
rectus - any of various straight muscles
muscle cell, muscle fiber, muscle fibre - an elongated contractile cell that forms the muscles of the body
involuntary muscle, smooth muscle - a muscle that contracts without conscious control and found in walls of internal organs such as stomach and intestine and bladder and blood vessels (excluding the heart)
anatomical sphincter, sphincter, sphincter muscle - a ring of muscle that contracts to close an opening
tensor - any of several muscles that cause an attached structure to become tense or firm
2.muscle - animal tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cellsmuscle - animal tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cells
animal tissue - the tissue in the bodies of animals
striated muscle tissue - muscle tissue characterized by transverse stripes
cardiac muscle, heart muscle - the muscle tissue of the heart; adapted to continued rhythmic contraction
smooth muscle - muscle tissue that does not appear striated under the microscope; has the form of thin layers or sheets
muscle system, muscular structure, musculature - the muscular system of an organism
tonicity, tonus, tone - the elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli; "the doctor tested my tonicity"
3.muscle - a bully employed as a thug or bodyguardmuscle - a bully employed as a thug or bodyguard; "the drug lord had his muscleman to protect him"
bully, hooligan, roughneck, rowdy, ruffian, yob, yobbo, yobo, tough - a cruel and brutal fellow
4.muscle - authority or power or force (especially when used in a coercive way); "the senators used their muscle to get the party leader to resign"
authority, potency, authorization, authorisation, say-so, dominance - the power or right to give orders or make decisions; "he has the authority to issue warrants"; "deputies are given authorization to make arrests"; "a place of potency in the state"
5.muscle - possessing muscular strength
strength - the property of being physically or mentally strong; "fatigue sapped his strength"
Verb1.muscle - make one's way by force; "He muscled his way into the office"
go across, pass, go through - go across or through; "We passed the point where the police car had parked"; "A terrible thought went through his mind"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

muscle

noun
1. tendon, sinew, muscle tissue, thew He has a strained thigh muscle.
2. strength, might, force, power, weight, stamina, potency, brawn, sturdiness The team showed more muscle than mental application.
3. power, weight, clout (informal), potency, pull (informal), forcefulness He used his muscle to persuade Congress to change the law.
muscle in (Informal) impose yourself, encroach, butt in, force your way in, elbow your way in He complained that they were muscling in on his deal.

Muscles

accelerator, accessorius, adductor, agonist, antagonist, arytenoid, biceps, buccinator, compressor, constrictor, contractor, corrugator, deltoid, depressor, digrastic, dilator, elevator, erector, evertor, extensor, flexor, gastrocnemius, gluteus or glutaeus, levator, lumbricalis, masseter, opponent, pectoral, peroneal muscle, pronator, psoas, quadriceps, rectus, retractor, rhomboideus, rotator, sartorius, scalenus, soleus, sphincter, supinator, suspensory or suspensor, tensor, trapezius, triceps
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

muscle

noun
1. The state or quality of being physically strong:
2. Informal. Effective means of influencing, compelling, or punishing:
Informal: clout.
verb
Informal. To force one's way into a place or situation:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
عَضَلَةٌعَضَلَه
svalmúscul
muskel
muskolo
ماهیچه
lihaslihaskudosvoima
mišićmišica
izom
otot
styrkurvöðvivöîvi
筋肉
근육
musculus
raumuojėga įsibrauti įraumenų
muskulis
mięsieńmuskuł
muşchi
sval
mišica
mišićмишић
muskel
กล้ามเนื้อ
cơ bắp

muscle

[ˈmʌsl] N
1. (Anat) → músculo m
to flex one's musclestensar los músculos
he never moved a muscleni se inmutó
2. (fig) → fuerza f
political musclepoder m político
muscle in VI + ADV to muscle in (on sth)meterse por la fuerza (en algo)
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

muscle

[ˈmʌsəl] n
[body] → muscle m
Exercise will tone up your stomach muscles → Faites de l'exercice pour tonifier vos abdominaux.
he didn't move a muscle (fig) (= remained motionless) → il est resté immobile
to flex one's muscles (= demonstrate one's power) → faire étalage de sa force
muscle in
vis'imposer, s'immiscer
muscle in on
vt fus
to muscle in on sth (= attempt to benefit from) → essayer de détourner qch à ses propres finsmuscle tissue ntissu m musculaire
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

muscle

nMuskel m; (fig: = power) → Macht f; he’s all muscleer besteht nur aus Muskeln, er ist sehr muskulös (gebaut); to have financial musclefinanzstark or -kräftig sein; he never moved a muscleer rührte sich nicht

muscle

:
muscle-bound
adj (inf: = muscular) → muskelbepackt (inf); to be muscleein Muskelpaket msein (inf)
muscle building
nMuskelaufbau m
muscle cramp
nMuskelkrampf m
muscleman
nMuskelmann m, → Muskelprotz m (pej)
muscle power
nMuskelkraft f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

muscle

[ˈmʌsl] nmuscolo (fig) → energia, forza
he never moved a muscle → rimase fermo immobile
muscle in vi + adv to muscle in (on sth) (fam) → intromettersi or immischiarsi (in qc)
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

muscle

(ˈmasl) noun
any of the bundles of fibres in the body which, by contracting or relaxing, cause movement of the body. He has well-developed muscles in his arms.
muscular (ˈmaskjulə) adjective
1. of, or relating to, muscle(s). great muscular strength.
2. having well-developed muscles; strong. She is tall and muscular.
muscle in (often with on)
to gain entry, or gain a share of something by force. The large firms have muscled in on all the important contracts.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

muscle

عَضَلَةٌ sval muskel Muskel μυς músculo lihas muscle mišić muscolo 筋肉 근육 spier muskel mięsień músculo мышца muskel กล้ามเนื้อ kas cơ bắp 肌肉
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

mus·cle

n. músculo, tipo de tejido fibroso capaz de contraerse y que permite el movimiento de las partes y los órganos del cuerpo;
cardiac ______ cardíaco;
flexor ______ flexor;
involuntary, visceral ______ involuntario, visceral;
loss of ___ tonepérdida de la tonicidad muscular;
___ buildingdesarrollo muscular;
___ relaxantsrelajadores musculares, medicamentos para aliviar espasmos musculares;
___ straindistensión muscular;
___ toningtonicidad muscular;
striated, voluntary ______ estriado, voluntario.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

muscle

n músculo; biceps — músculo bíceps, bíceps m; deltoid — músculo deltoides, deltoides m; gastrocnemius — músculo gastrocnemio, gastrocnemio; gluteus — músculo glúteo, glúteo; pectoral — músculo pectoral, pectoral m; psoas — músculo psoas, psoas m; quadriceps — músculo cuádriceps, cuádriceps m; skeletal — músculo esquelético; smooth — músculo liso; soleus — músculo sóleo, sóleo; trapezius — músculo trapecio, trapecio; triceps — músculo tríceps, tríceps m
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
A wondrous transformation was wrought in the motionless mass of statuesque bone and muscle that had an instant before stood as though carved out of the living bronze.
"You didn't get all that muscle from bein' chased by McManus," Billy observed over the coffee.
It might not be much harm on parade, except to worry and fatigue them; but how would it be in a bayonet charge against the enemy, when they want the free use of every muscle, and all their strength thrown forward?
Like a great cat Bulan drew himself cautiously to all fours--every nerve and muscle taut with the excitement of the moment.
Every bit of flesh an' blood an' muscle is clean right down to the bones--and they're clean, too.
Sadly, I know I am shorn of my strength, And no muscle I move As I lie at full length -- But no matter!
Neither the hand nor a single muscle of the count's face stirred.
As he moved about or raised his arms the great muscles leapt and moved under the satiny skin.
I could feel in my tense grip the pull of the hair as her skin and her muscles moved beneath with her efforts.
Of course neither the robin nor his mate had ever heard of the champion wrestler, Bob Haworth, and his exercises for making the muscles stand out like lumps.
It was no member of the House of Lords who swung swiftly and grimly through the tangled forest or trod with untiring muscles the wide stretches of open plain--it was a great he ape filled with a single purpose that excluded all thoughts of fatigue or danger.
A sense of delicious dreaminess overcame me, my muscles relaxed, and I was on the point of giving way to my desire to sleep when the sound of approaching horses reached my ears.