Added 8 October 2026
muscle
/ˈmʌs.əl/ noun
In Latin: torus, mūsculus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about muscle at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- One of the contractile organs of the body.
- Animal tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cells.
-
A bully employed as a thug or bodyguard.
the drug lord had his muscleman to protect him
verb
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)