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Medical Dictionary

muscle

Pronunciation (mŭs′ĕl)
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  1. A primary tissue, consisting predominantly of highly specialized contractile cells, which may be classified as skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, or smooth muscle; microscopically, the latter is lacking in transverse striations characteristic of the other two types; one of the contractile organs of the body by which movements of the various organs and parts are effected; typical muscle is a mass of musculus fibers (venter or belly), attached at each extremity, by means of a tendon, to a bone or other structure; the more proximal or more fixed attachment is called the origin (q.v.), the more distal or more movable attachment is the insertion (q.v.); the narrowing part of the belly that is attached to the tendon of origin is called the caput or head. See entries under: For gross anatomic description, see musculus

Syn: musculus

[L. musculus]

WebMD Medical Reference from "Stedman's Medical Dictionary"

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