muscle
/ˈmʌs.əl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.44 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A well-developed physique, in which the muscles are enlarged from exercise.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments."
- "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."
- "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."
- "You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker […]"
- "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."
- "The widely-backed campaign to recall Evan Mecham as governor of Arizona gained even more muscle when the state House of Representatives voted to impeach the ultraconservative on February 5."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: muscle, mūsculus