# muscle

Pronunciation: say "MUS-uhl" /ˈmʌs.əl/

## Noun

1. An organ made of muscle tissue, such as the biceps or the heart.
   - Simple: A body part that tightens and relaxes to move parts of the body.
   - _The biceps is the muscle most people flex to show off._
   - _Doctors examined the torn muscle in his shoulder._
2. Contractile tissue that animals use to produce movement by tightening and relaxing.
   - Simple: The soft body tissue that tightens to make the body move.
   - _Regular exercise builds muscle and improves endurance._
   - _Cardiac muscle never tires the way skeletal tissue does._
3. Strength or forceful power, especially the kind used to push something through.
   - Simple: Power and strength, especially the kind that gets something done.
   - _The new regulations lack the muscle to deter big polluters._
   - _The company used its financial muscle to push the deal through._
4. A strong, well-built body whose muscles have grown large through exercise.
   - Simple: A strong, well-built body with large muscles built up by exercise.
   - _Years of swimming gave him lean muscle and broad shoulders._
   - _The bodybuilder was pure muscle, with hardly any fat._
7. Strongmen or bodyguards hired to protect someone or to apply force.
   - Simple: People hired to protect someone or to scare others with force.
   - _The boss brought his muscle to the meeting._
   - _Loan sharks send muscle to collect overdue debts._

## Verb

5. To use force, especially physical strength, to push something through or make headway.
   - Simple: To push something or someone using your strength to get ahead.
   - _Larger firms muscle smaller competitors out of the market._
   - _She muscled the stuck drawer open with both hands._
6. To advance or move using great physical force.
   - Simple: To move somewhere using a lot of force or strength.
   - _Linebackers muscle into the backfield on almost every play._
   - _The icebreaker muscled through the frozen channel._

## Origin

From Middle English muscle and Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus ("a muscle," literally "little mouse"), so called because of the mouselike appearance of some muscles, from mūs ("mouse"). It is a doublet of mussel.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/muscle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).