Antonyms for muscles
| Grammar : Noun |
| Spell : muhs-uhl |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈmʌs əl |
Definition of muscles
Origin :- late 14c., from Middle French muscle "muscle, sinew" (14c.) and directly from Latin musculus "a muscle," literally "little mouse," diminutive of mus "mouse" (see mouse (n.)).
- So called because the shape and movement of some muscles (notably biceps) were thought to resemble mice. The analogy was made in Greek, too, where mys is both "mouse" and "muscle," and its comb. form gives the medical prefix myo-. Cf. also Old Church Slavonic mysi "mouse," mysica "arm;" German Maus "mouse; muscle," Arabic 'adalah "muscle," 'adal "field mouse." In Middle English, lacerte, from the Latin word for "lizard," also was used as a word for a muscle.
- Musclez & lacertez bene one selfe þing, Bot þe muscle is said to þe fourme of mouse & lacert to þe fourme of a lizard. [Guy de Chauliac, "Grande Chirurgie," c.1425]
- Hence muscular and mousy are relatives, and a Middle English word for "muscular" was lacertous, "lizardy." Figurative sense of "force, violence, threat of violence" is 1930, American English. Muscle car "hot rod" is from 1969.
- noun large fibers of animal body
- noun power, influence
- If you grow up and have muscles like them, you can call yourself a man.
- Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
- Under the strain of his muscles, iron bars bent like hot wax.
- Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
- Her throat was bare, and she saw the muscles of it knotted in the struggle for life.
- Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
- Lauzanne knew what had come to him of genealogy, not in his mind so much as in his muscles.
- Extract from : « Thoroughbreds » by W. A. Fraser
- You know his drawl, when his muscles give him the respectful hesitation.
- Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
- They praised his eyes' alertness, the smoothness of his muscles.
- Extract from : « Buried Cities, Part 2 » by Jennie Hall
- She was a wiry woman, a mass of muscles animated by an eager energy.
- Extract from : « Tiverton Tales » by Alice Brown
- Taffy was not used to such toil, and his muscles were soon weary.
- Extract from : « Welsh Fairy Tales » by William Elliott Griffis
- He relies on his muscles and not on his charms, for support.
- Extract from : « Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 12, June 18, 1870 » by Various
- Stanley's jaw dropped, but it was surprise which slackened the muscles.
- Extract from : « Good Indian » by B. M. Bower
Synonyms for muscles
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019