muscle

Quan ens cansem ella recolza el cap al meu muscle.

2000, Francesc Serés, Els ventres de la terra, Columna, page 41:

When we get tired, she rests her head on my shoulder.

Inherited from Latin musculus, doublet of múscul (“muscle”) and musclo (“mussel”).


muscle

Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments.

For as the Trunk of the Body, is kept from tilting forvvard by the Muſcules of the Back: So, from falling backvvard, by theſe of the Belly.

1701, Nehemiah Grew, “Of the Use of Organized Bodies”, in Cosmologia Sacra: Or A Discourse of the Universe as It is the Creature and Kingdom of God. […], London: […] W[illiam] Rogers, S[amuel] Smith, and B[enjamin] Walford: […], →OCLC, 1st book, paragraph 18, page 27:

(uncountable) A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement.

His brow and hair and the palms of his hands were wet, and there was a kind of nervous contraction of his muscles. They seemed to ripple and string tense.

1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter VIII, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC:

You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker […]

1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:

(countable) An organ composed of muscle tissue.

2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii
The fact that I was middle-aged, bald, married, and raising girls instead of chasing them didn't really bother me. Muscles are cool at any age.

(uncountable, usually in the plural) A well-developed physique, in which the muscles are enlarged from exercise.

The lesson to be drawn from the events of 1914, to Roosevelt's mind, was that civilization needed muscle to defend it, not just solemn words.

2010, Adam Quinn, US Foreign Policy in Context, page 81:

It was going to take muscle to pluck Miss Agnes out of the canal.

2013, John D. MacDonald, The Long Lavender Look, page 15:

How can the unions - or more specifically the RMT—possibly think this is a good time to exert a bit of industrial muscle and indulge in strikes both on the national railway and the London Underground?

2022 January 12, Christian Wolmar, “A new year... but the same old mistakes are being made”, in RAIL, number 948, pages 40–41:

(uncountable, figurative) Strength, force.

It was easy enough to dodge him, let him crash into the floorboards. Peltroc knew that his priority was the leader, not the hired muscle.

1985, Lance Parkin, The Infinity Doctors, page 34:

(uncountable, figurative) Hired strongmen or bodyguards.

en-noun

muscle (countable and uncountable, plural muscles)

Types of muscles: See Category:en:Muscles

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.


muscle

He muscled his way through the crowd.

Hensel and Wilson hit a series of leg shots simultaneously as Christian muscles between them with Quinn right on his heels.

1988, Steve Holman, “Christian Conquers Columbus”, in Ironman, 47 (6): 28-34:

Nothing the Nebraskans ever again recorded managed to muscle more than minimal attention.

1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 236:

"Here!" I passed out stacks of money. T.C. hadn't had time to batch it up, so some of it was just laying loose in money bags and I passed all that shit out to Rome while Pimp muscled Miss Lady around.

2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 112:

(transitive) To use force to make progress, especially physical force.

She muscled through the ruins.

(intransitive) To move forcefully or with great strength.

en-verb

muscle (third-person singular simple present muscles, present participle muscling, simple past and past participle muscled)

muscles (present singular third-person)
muscling (participle present)
muscled (participle past)
muscled (past)


muscle

Inherited from Middle French muscle, a borrowing from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”). See also the inherited doublet moule (“mussel, clam”).


muscle

first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive

inflection of muscler:
second-person singular imperative


muscle

English: mussel

Scots: mushle

→ Welsh: misgl

From Old English muscelle, from Late Latin mūscula (“mussel”). Reinforced by Old French mosle.


muscle

English: muscle

From Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus (“muscle”).


muscle

French: muscle

→ Middle English: muscle

English: muscle


muscle

Borrowed from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”), from Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs, “mouse, muscle, mussel”).


muscle

late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
Swylċe ēac þēos eorþe is berende missenlīcra fugela ⁊ sǣwihta ⁊ hēr bēoþ oft fanġene seolas ⁊ hronas and mereswȳn; ⁊ hēr bēoþ oft numene missenlīcra cynna weolcsċylle ⁊ muscule, ⁊ on þām oft ġemette þā betstan meregrotan ǣlces hīwes.

This land also bears various birds and sea creatures, and seals, porpoises, and dolphins are often caught here; and various kinds of shellfish and mussel are often taken, and in them the best pearls of every color are often found.

muscle (nominative singular)
musclan (nominative plural)
musclan (accusative singular)
musclan (accusative plural)
musclan (genitive singular)
musclena (genitive plural)
musclan (dative singular)
musclum (dative plural)

desctree

Middle English: muscle, moskle, muschyl, muscul, muskall, muskel, muskele, muskell, muskle, muskyl, muskyll, musshell, mustul
English: mussel
Scots: mushle
→ Welsh: misgl

Borrowed from Late Latin mūscula, from Latin mūsculus.