muscle

[ muhs-uhl ]

noun

1. a tissue composed of cells or fibers, the contraction of which produces movement in the body.
2. an organ, composed of muscle tissue, that contracts to produce a particular movement.
3. muscular strength; brawn:

   It will take a great deal of muscle to move this box.

   Synonyms: force, might, vigor, power

4. power or force, especially of a coercive nature:

   They put muscle into their policy and sent the marines.

5. lean meat.
6. Slang.
   1. a hired thug or thugs.
   2. a bodyguard or bodyguards:

      a gangster protected by muscle.

7. a necessary or fundamental thing, quality, etc.:

   The editor cut the muscle from the article.

verb (used with object)

, mus·cled, mus·cling.

1. Informal. to force or compel others to make way for:

   He muscled his way into the conversation.

2. to make more muscular:

   The dancing lessons muscled her legs.

3. to strengthen or toughen; put muscle into.
4. Informal. to accomplish by muscular force:

   to muscle the partition into place.

5. Informal. to force or compel, as by threats, promises, influence, or the like:

   to muscle a bill through Congress.

verb (used without object)

, mus·cled, mus·cling.

1. Informal. to make one's way by force or fraud (often followed by in or into ).

adjective

1. Informal. (of a machine, engine, or vehicle) being very powerful or capable of high-speed performance:

   a muscle power saw.

muscle

/ ˈmʌsəl /

noun

1. a tissue composed of bundles of elongated cells capable of contraction and relaxation to produce movement in an organ or part
2. an organ composed of muscle tissue
3. strength or force

verb

1. informal.
   intr; often foll by in, on, etc to force one's way (in)

muscle

/ mŭs′əl /

1. A body tissue composed of sheets or bundles of cells that contract to produce movement or increase tension. Muscle cells contain filaments made of the proteins actin and myosin, which lie parallel to each other. When a muscle is signaled to contract, the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other in an overlapping pattern.
2. ◆ Skeletal muscle effects voluntary movement and is made up of bundles of elongated cells (muscle fibers), each of which contains many nuclei.
3. ◆ Smooth muscle provides the contractile force for the internal organs and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle cells are spindle-shaped and each contains a single nucleus.
4. ◆ Cardiac muscle makes up the muscle of the heart and consists of a meshwork of striated cells.

Derived Forms

• ˈmuscly, adjective

Other Words From

• muscle·less adjective
• muscly adjective
• over·muscled adjective
• trans·muscle noun
• un·muscled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of muscle¹

1525–35; < Latin mūsculus literally, little mouse (from fancied resemblance to some muscles), equivalent to mūs mouse + -culus -cle ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of muscle¹

C16: from medical Latin musculus little mouse, from the imagined resemblance of some muscles to mice, from Latin mūs mouse

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with muscle , also see flex one's muscles ; move a muscle .

Example Sentences

“Coming to practice the next day, my muscles felt they were going to bust,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Stress can cause muscle tension, headaches, sleep problems and loss of appetite.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a pressing concern in a super-aging society like Japan where -- while people live longer -- without proper muscle strength, quality of life can be drastically diminished.

From Science Daily

The most common problems include chronic headaches, difficulty swallowing and decreased muscle strength, as well as syringomyelia, a condition that occurs when a cyst forms in the spinal cord.

From Science Daily

"We discovered at least two different stem cell populations -- one that regenerates tissues such as epidermis and neurons, and another that forms muscles and connective tissue," says Adelmann.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• clout
• energy
• stamina
• strength
• weight