Basic Human Anatomy

5-3. NAMING SKELETAL MUSCLES

5-3. NAMING SKELETAL MUSCLES

The name of a muscle may appear with the abbreviation M., meaning Musculus or muscle. We abbreviate muscles (plural) with the symbol Mm. Skeletal muscles are named according to their physical attributes (shape, size, length, etc.), their location, or their function. For example:

SHAPE:	deltoid M. DELTA = D , Greek letter D biceps M. BICEPS = two-head BI = two CEPS = head
SIZE:	adductor magnus M. MAGNUS = great, large
LENGTH:	adductor longus M. LONGUS = long
LOCATION:	biceps brachii M. BRACHII = of the arm biceps femoris M. FEMORIS = of the thigh
FUNCTION:	rotatores Mm. ROTATORES = rotators (They turn/rotate the vertebral column.)

Primary Content Providers: The U. S. Army, The U.S. Navy
Ancillary Content and Online Version: David L. Heiserman
Publisher: SweetHaven Publishing Services