Skeletal muscles
Skeletal Muscles
Skeletal muscles (pronunciation: /ˈskɛlɪtəl ˈmʌskəlz/) are a type of muscle that is attached to the bones of the skeleton and provides the force that moves the bones.
Etymology
The term "skeletal muscle" is derived from the Greek words "skeletos" meaning "dried up" and "mus" meaning "mouse". The term "muscle" is derived from the Latin word "musculus" meaning "little mouse", possibly because of the resemblance of some muscles, especially when contracted, to small animals moving under the skin.
Structure
Skeletal muscles are composed of muscle fibers that are bound together in parallel by connective tissue. Each muscle fiber is a single cell and contains many nuclei, which are pushed to the periphery of the cell.
Function
Skeletal muscles function primarily for locomotion and support of the body. They accomplish this through contraction and relaxation of the muscle fibers.
Related Terms
- Muscle contraction: The activation of tension-generating sites within muscle fibers.
- Muscle fiber: A single muscle cell.
- Myofibril: A basic rod-like unit of a muscle cell.
- Sarcomere: The basic unit of a muscle's cross-striated myofibril.
- Tendon: A flexible but inelastic cord of strong fibrous collagen tissue attaching a muscle to a bone.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Skeletal muscles
- Wikipedia's article - Skeletal muscles
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski