# muscle
## English
### Etymology

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

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈmʌsl̩/
* (General American) enPR: mŭʹsəl, IPA: /ˈmʌs(ə)l/
* Audio (General American):(file)
* (Indic) IPA: /masal/, /masil/
* Homophone: mussel
* Rhymes: -ʌsəl
* Hyphenation: mus‧cle

### Noun

muscle (countable and uncountable, plural muscles)
* (uncountable) A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement.
    Synonym: thew
    Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments.
** 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.
* (countable) An organ composed of muscle tissue.
** 1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter VIII, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC:His brow and hair and the palms of his hands were wet, and there was a kind of nervous contraction of his muscles. They seemed to ripple and string tense.
** 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker […]
* (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.
* (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?
* (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

* muscule (obsolete)

#### Hypernyms

* (tissue or organ): musculature

#### Hyponyms

* abdominal muscle
* abdominoscrotal muscle
* abducens muscle
* anterior auricular muscle
* anterior scalene muscle
* arytenoid muscle
* auricular muscle
* caninus muscle
* cardiac muscle
* ciliary muscle
* cricoarytenoid muscle
* cricothyroid muscle
* deltoideus muscle
* deltoid muscle
* digastric muscle
* external oblique muscle
* extraocular muscle
* geniohyoid muscle
* heart muscle
* inferior oblique muscle
* internal oblique muscle
* involuntary muscle
* iris dilator muscle
* jaw muscle
* lateral cricoarytenoid muscle
* lateral pterygoid muscle
* medial pterygoid muscle
* middle scalene muscle
* Molson muscle
* Müller's muscle
* muscle of mastication
* mylohyoid muscle
* oblique muscle
* omohyoid muscle
* papillary muscle
* pectoral muscle
* posterior auricular muscle
* posterior cricoarytenoid muscle
* posterior scalene muscle
* pterygoid muscle
* rectus muscle
* scalene muscle
* shaving muscle
* skeletal muscle
* smooth muscle
* sternocleidomastoid muscle
* sternohyoid muscle
* sternothyroid muscle
* striated muscle
* striped muscle
* stylohyoid muscle
* superior auricular muscle
* superior oblique muscle
* superior tarsal muscle
* tailor's muscle
* temporal muscle
* temporoparietalis muscle
* thyroarytenoid muscle
* thyrohyoid muscle
* triangularis muscle
* voluntary muscle
* Types of muscles: see also Category:en:Muscles

#### Derived terms

* beer muscles
* delayed-onset muscle soreness
* delayed onset muscle soreness
* gym muscles
* hired muscle
* love muscle
* make a muscle
* mind-muscle connection
* muscle ass
* Muscle Beach
* musclebound, muscle-bound
* muscle boy
* muscle car
* muscle confusion
* muscled
* muscledom
* muscled up
* muscle dysmorphia
* muscle-eye-brain disease
* muscle fiber, muscle fibre
* muscleful
* muscle girl
* muscle god
* muscle head
* muscleless
* muscleman, muscle man
* muscle Mary
* muscle memory
* muscle mommy
* muscle morph
* muscle reading
* muscle relaxant
* muscle segment
* muscle shirt
* musclesome
* muscle spindle
* muscle tone
* muscle woman
* muscly
* muscular
* muscularity
* musculature
* on the muscle
* white muscle disease

#### Translations

Afrikaans: spier
Albanian: muskul (sq) m
Amharic: ጡንቻ (ṭunča)
Arabic: عَضَلَة (ar) f (ʕaḍala)
Egyptian Arabic: عضلة f (ʕaḍala)
Hijazi Arabic: عَضَلة f (ʕaḍala)
Armenian: մկան (hy) (mkan)
Aromanian: mushclju
Assamese: পেশী (pexi)
Asturian: músculu (ast) m
Azerbaijani: əzələ (az)
Bashkir: мускул (muskul)
Bau Bidayuh: masor
Belarusian: мы́шца f (mýšca), му́скул m (múskul), цяглі́ца f (cjahlíca)
Bengali: পেশী (bn) (peśi)
Bulgarian: му́скул m (múskul)
Burmese: ကြွက်သား (my) (krwaksa:)
Carpathian Rusyn: мяз m (mjaz), мускул m (muskul)
Catalan: múscul (ca) m
Cebuano: kusog
Central Melanau: wat
Central Sierra Miwok: pasú·ka-
Chechen: дилха (dilxa)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 肌肉 (gei$^1$ juk$^6$), 筋肉 (gan$^1$ juk$^6$)
Hokkien: 肌肉 (ki-bah), 筋肉 (kin-bah)
Mandarin: 肌肉 (zh) (jīròu), 筋肉 (zh) (jīnròu)
Chuvash: сенкерле (senk̬erle), мускул (muskul)
Czech: sval (cs) m
Danish: muskel (da) c
Dutch: spier (nl) f
Egyptian: (mt f)
Erzya: пукшо (pukšo)
Esperanto: muskolo
Estonian: lihas (et)
Faroese: vøddi m
Finnish: lihaskudos (fi), lihas (fi)
French: muscle (fr) m
Friulian: muscul m
Galician: músculo (gl) m
Georgian: კუნთი (ka) (ḳunti)
German: Muskel (de) m
Greek: μυς (el) m (mys)
Ancient: μῦς m (mûs), ἴς f (ís)
Guaraní: to'o mbarete
Gujarati: સ્નાયુ (snāyu)
Haitian Creole: misk
Hebrew: שְׁרִיר (he) m (sh'rir)
Hindi: पेशी (hi) f (peśī), मांसपेशी (hi) (mānspeśī)
Hungarian: izom (hu)
Icelandic: vöðvi (is) m
Ido: muskulo (io)
Indonesian: otot (id)
Ingrian: muskula
Irish: matán (ga) m
Italian: muscolo (it) m
Japanese: 筋肉 (ja) (きんにく, kinniku), 筋 (ja) (すじ, suji)
Javanese: otot (jv)
Kalmyk: бульчң (bulʹçñ)
Kannada: ಸ್ನಾಯು (kn) (snāyu)
Kazakh: бұлшықет (būlşyqet)
Khmer: សាច់ដុំ (sac dom)
Korean: 근육(筋肉) (ko) (geunyuk)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: masûlke (ku), ezalet (ku)
Kyrgyz: мускул (muskul), булчуң (ky) (bulcuŋ), булчуң эт (bulcuŋ et)
Lao: ກ້າມ (lo) (kām), ເນຶ້ອກ້າມ (nưa kām)
Latin: torus m, mūsculus m
Latvian: muskulis m
Lithuanian: raumuo m
Low German: Muskel m
Macedonian: мускул (mk) m (muskul)
Malagasy: ozatra (mg)
Malay: otot (ms)
Malayalam: പേശി (ml) (pēśi)
Maltese: muskolu m
Maori: ua (mi), uaua, ia
Marathi: स्नायू (snāyū)
Middle English: muscle
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: булчин (mn) (bulčin), хүч тамир (xüč tamir)
Munsee: wchéht
Navajo: adoh
Norman: muscle m (Jersey)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: muskel (no) m
Occitan: muscle (oc) m
Odia: ପେଶୀ (or) (peśi)
Ojibwe: mashkawiziiwin
Old English: līra m
Old Javanese: hotot
Pashto: عضله (ps) f ('azala)
Persian: ماهیچِه (fa) (mâhiče), عَضُلِه (fa) ('azole), موشَک (fa) (mušak) (archaic)
Polabian: moiskă f
Polish: mięsień (pl) m, muskuł (pl) m
Portuguese: músculo (pt) m
Romanian: mușchi (ro) m
Romansch: muscul m, muscal m
Russian: мы́шца (ru) f (mýšca), му́скул (ru) m (múskul)
Samoan: maso
Sanskrit: पेशी (sa) f (peśī), स्नायु (sa) f or n (snāyu)
Sardinian: musculu m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: мѝшӣћ m
Roman: mìšīć m
Slovak: sval (sk) m
Slovene: mišica (sl) f
Southern Altai: балтыр (baltïr)
Spanish: músculo (es) m
Sundanese: ᮇᮒᮧᮒ᮪ (otot)
Swahili: msuli (sw)
Swedish: muskel (sv) c
Tagalog: masel, kalamnan
Tajik: мушак (tg) (mušak), моҳича (mohiča), азала (azala)
Tamil: தசை (ta) (tacai)
Tatar: мускул (muskul)
Telugu: కండరం (te) (kaṇḍaraṁ)
Tetum: uat, múskulu
Thai: กล้ามเนื้อ (th) (glâam-nʉ́ʉa), กล้าม (th) (glâam)
Tibetan: ཤ་ཤེད (sha shed)
Tigrinya: ጭዋዳ (č̣əwada)
Tocharian B: passoñ
Tongan: uoua
Turkish: kas (tr), adale (tr)
Turkmen: muskul
Ukrainian: м'яз (uk) m (mʺjaz), му́скул m (múskul)
Urdu: عَضْلَہ ('azla)
Uyghur: مۇسكۇل (muskul)
Uzbek: mushak (uz), muskul (uz), et (uz)
Vietnamese: cơ (vi), bắp thịt (vi), cơ bắp (vi)
Volapük: muskul (vo)
Walloon: musse (wa) m
Welsh: cyhyr (cy) m
Yakut: былчыҥ (bılcıñ)
Yiddish: מוסקל m (muskl)
Yoruba: iṣan :

#### See also

* myology
* myotomy

### Verb

muscle (third-person singular simple present muscles, present participle muscling, simple past and past participle muscled)
* (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.
* (intransitive) To move forcefully or with great strength.
    She muscled through the ruins.

#### Derived terms

* muscle in
* muscle in on
* muscle-up, muscle up
* outmuscle

#### Translations
### Related terms

* mouse

### References

* “muscle”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

### Anagrams

* clumse

## Catalan
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [ˈmus.klə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [ˈmus.kle]

### Noun

muscle m (plural muscles)
* 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

* “muscle” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “muscle”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “muscle” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “muscle” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## French
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /myskl/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

muscle m (plural muscles)
* muscle (contractile tissue, strength)
    muscle lisse ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    muscle squelettique ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

#### Derived terms

* muscler

#### Related terms

* musculeux
* musculaire

### Verb

muscle
* inflection of muscler:
** first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “muscle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Middle English
### Etymology 1

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

#### Alternative forms

* moskle, muschyl, muscul, muskall, muskel, muskele, muskell, muskle, muskyl, muskyll, musshell, mustul

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmus(k)əl/, /ˈmus(k)lə/

#### Noun

muscle (plural muscles)
* mussel (bivalve)
* (rare) A sort of siege engine.

##### Descendants

* English: mussel
* Scots: mushle
* → Welsh: misgl

##### References

* “muscle, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 2

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

#### Alternative forms

* mucell, muscule, musculle, muskylle

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmusəl/, /ˈmuslə/, /ˈmuskiu̯l(ə)/

#### Noun

muscle (plural muscles)
* (anatomy) muscle

##### Descendants

* English: muscle

##### References

* “muscle, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

## Middle French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin musculus.

### Noun

muscle m (plural muscles)
* (anatomy) muscle

#### Descendants

* French: muscle
* → Middle English: muscle
** English: muscle

## Norman
### Etymology

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

### Noun

muscle m (plural muscles)
* (anatomy) muscle

## Occitan
### Etymology

From Latin mūsculus.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

muscle m (plural muscles)
* muscle
* mussel

### Further reading

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

## Old English
### Alternative forms

* muscelle, muxle, musle

### Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mūscula, from Latin mūsculus.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈmus.kle/

### Noun

muscle f
* 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

Weak feminine (n-stem):

#### Descendants

* Middle English: muscle, moskle, muschyl, muscul, muskall, muskel, muskele, muskell, muskle, muskyl, muskyll, musshell, mustul
** English: mussel
** Scots: mushle
** → Welsh: misgl

### References

* Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “muscelle”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.