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splenius

American  
[splee-nee-uhs] / ˈspli ni əs /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

splenii

  1. a broad muscle on each side of the back of the neck and the upper part of the thoracic region, the action of which draws the head backward and assists in turning it to one side.

splenius British  
/ ˈspliːnɪəs /

noun

  1. anatomy either of two flat muscles situated at the back of the neck that rotate, flex, and extend the head and neck

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • splenial adjective
  • subsplenial adjective

Etymology

Origin of splenius

1725–35; < New Latin, for Latin splēnium < Greek splēníon plaster, patch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.