Trapeziuses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The large, triangular muscles extending over the upper back and neck that help move, rotate, and stabilize the shoulder blades ; plural of the muscle located on each side of the upper spine
2. The sets of paired muscles covering the upper back and part of the neck responsible for movements like shrugging and supporting the shoulders ; the plural form referring to both muscles
3. The powerful upper back muscles stretching from the neck to mid-back that aid in controlling the shoulders and arms ; both muscles considered together in anatomical terms

Etymology: "Trapeziuses" is the plural of "trapezius," the name for the broad, flat muscle that spreads across the upper back and neck. The singular form is the one anatomists use most, and the plural simply follows the regular pattern for Latin-derived nouns ending in "-ius." The name "trapezius" is a Latin-style adjective coined from Ancient Greek "trápeza," meaning "table" or "four-legged table." The muscle is shaped roughly like a trapezoid, the four-sided figure whose name comes from the same Greek root, and the Greek word itself gives English "trapeze," "trapezoid," and "trapezium," all sharing the image of a flat, four-cornered shape. Anatomists who named the muscle were describing its outline, not its function.

Synonyms: trapezii