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Muscles May Be Named According To Any of These Characteristics
Muscles May Be Named According To Any of These Characteristics
Characteristics
1. What is the size of the muscle? Its it bigger than a muscle near it, or smaller?
2. Where is the muscle located? This may refer to a body part, or to the origin and insertion
of a muscle.
3. What is its basic shape? What does it look like?
4. What is its function? Does it extend a joint or flex it?
5. How many origins does it have ("heads", parts or divisions)?
6. What is the muscle's origin and insertion?
7. What is the muscle orientation relative to the midline of the body? Or, in other words, in
what direction do the muscle's fibers run? Are they straight (rectus), or perhaps oblique
(slanted)?
Each of these basic characteristics are "coded" with root words used to form the larger
name. Many times, as well, a muscles name must be based on its relationship to another
similar or paired muscle. Let's look at some of the basic words used to describe muscles:
Biceps: two heads (biceps brachii which means "two headed muscle of arm" and
biceps femoris which means "two headed muscle of the thigh")
Triceps three heads (triceps brachii which means "three headed muscle of arm")
Quadriceps: four heads (quadriceps femoris which means "four headed muscle of the
thigh", commonly called the quadriceps). Technically the "quadriceps" are different
muscles, however, not one muscle with multiple origins.
Flexor: flexes joint, or brings two ends closer together, decreases joint angle (flexor
carpi radialus)
Extensor: extends joint or bring two ends further apart, increase joint angle
(extensor carpi radialus)2
Levator: elevates a structure or part (levator scapulae)
Depressor: depresses a structure or part (depressor anguli oris)
Adductor: adducts or moves a part toward the midline
Abductor: abducts or moves a part away from the midline3
Pronator: pronates or turns the hand or forearm downward or backward (pronator
quadratus and pronator teres muscle)
Supinator: supinates or turns the hand or forearm upward or forward (supinator
muscle)4
Rotator: rotates one structure relative to another (rotatores spinae)
Opponens: Refers to thumb actions only and named for the action of opposition,
which is when the tip of the thumb is brought into contact with other fingers
(opponens pollicis)
Some special action words used for certain muscles:
Sartorius Muscle: Derived from the muscles activity when crossing the legs and
named after the Latin word for tailer, sartor. Tailors used to sit on the floor cross-
legged to do their work, before sewing machines were invented. Other explanations
are also put forth, such as the cross-legged pedaling action of old sewing machines,
which enlarged the muscle in tailors, and the muscles location along the "inseam."
Buccinator: Derived from the muscles action in compressing the cheeks, which
occurs when pursing the lips and blowing forcefully, as when playing the trumpet.
The word buccinator means "trumpet player" so the buccinator is the "trumpet
player muscle."
Risorius: Derived from this facial muscle's action in producing the facial expression
associated with laughter, which is risor in Latin. The actual expression of the muscle
is more appropriately described as a grimace. 2
Masseter: Derived from the muscles major action in chewing, coming from the Greek
mastr, meaning "a chewer."
Sternocleidomastoid: Sterno and cleido for its origin, the sternum and clavicle; and
mastoid for its insertion, the mastoid process.
Brachioradialis: Brachio for its origin on the upper arm and radialis for its insertion
on the radius of the forearm.
Genioglossus: Genio for its origin on the chin or "geneion" and glossus for its
insertion on the tongue (glossus).
Sternohyoid: Sterno for its origin on the sternum and hyoid for its insertion at the
hyoid bone.
Coracobrachialis: Coraco for its origin on the corocoid process of the scapula and
brachialis for its insertion on the humerus of the upper arm.
As can be seen by the various terms and methods used to name muscles, it is by far a
perfect system. Unfortunately, throughout the many years spent describing and naming the
body's muscles, anatomists failed to stick to one method. Although there is indeed
structure, some parts of the structure is more scientific than others. For instance, there is
nothing particularly scientific in calling a muscle "deltoid" because it is shaped like a
triangle. Likewise, although a word like "femoris" would seem very precise, there are many
muscles associated with the femoris, or "thigh bone" and therefore a name like "quadratus
femoris" means only "a square-shaped muscle of the thigh bone," which still requires us to
memorize the muscle rather than to be able to guess its precise location and function by its
name. This muscle, after all, could be located on the anterior or the posterior part of the
thigh and could be a hip muscle or a knee muscle. Although gluteus maximus sounds
sufficiently scientific to most laypeople, calling a muscle "a large buttock muscle" is hardly
scientific.
It would seem, then, that those names giving location and action are best, and these would
be termed physiological names. Well, for those studying only human anatomy and human
muscles, this may be the case, but for comparative anatomy and to describe the same
muscles in different animals, it is a mess, as not all muscles necessarily share the same
exact function in all animals. As stated above, perhaps the best system is a morphological
one, which uses the origin and insertion of a muscle for its name, at least for purposes of
comparative anatomy. Still, for students of human kinesiology and physical training,
comparative anatomy is, at best, a side-line. Therefore, more descriptive names are more
useful and most of us should be thankful that the morphological system never really caught
on, although anatomists may grapple with the incongruities.
There will always be some memorization involved in learning the names, functions, and
locations of the muscles. There is just no way around it. Yes, you may know that the
brachialis has something to do with the arm, because of the "brachi" in the word, but that's
all you know. How is it different than the brachioradialis or the coracobrachialis?
After studying the terms above, you should start to see patterns emerging. As you move
down the lists, you should start to recognize the terms previously encountered in the
muscle examples given, so that, as you learn, the names start to make more and more
sense. This is especially the case in the more descriptive names. Fortunately, the other,
badly named muscles, such as the deltoid and trapezius muscles, are the more familiar
muscles to laypeople, and most shouldn't have much trouble with these bad apples. Learn
all the terms in this article, and even with no memorization of the individual muscles you
will know a great deal more than most people about the muscles of your body.