Gluteuses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The muscles forming the rounded mass of the buttocks, involved in movement and support of the hip and thigh
2. Large muscle groups located in the buttock region that function in hip extension, abduction, and external rotation
3. The prominent posterior muscles of the pelvis important for posture, locomotion, and stability during standing and movement

Etymology: "Gluteuses" is the plural of "gluteus," the anatomical term for the large muscles that form the buttocks. The singular comes from New Latin "glūtæus," which was built on the Ancient Greek "gloutos," meaning "rump" or "buttock." Its plural form follows the Latin pattern of the word, so anatomists refer to several of these muscles as "gluteuses" rather than as "glutei," the Latin plural. The Greek root shows up in other anatomical and everyday vocabulary, giving the buttock a family of terms built from the same ancient stem. Because the modern word was coined from classical materials for scientific description, it was not a term that Greek or Roman speakers used for these muscles. It is a deliberate technical creation that anatomists adopted to name a body part with precision.

Synonyms: gluteal muscles, buttocks