lacertus · noun — A bundle or fascicle of muscular fibres.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, lacertus ranks #2,642 of 17,181 for Most Ingenious Words, #4,681 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say, #7,260 of 17,177 for Most Incisive Words, #7,312 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words.
lacertus is pronounced /ləˈsɝː.təs/.
Why “lacertus” is a great word
A discrete bundle or fascicle of muscular fibers, especially those of the upper arm. From Late Latin *lacertus* (“muscle”), from Classical Latin *lacertus* (“upper arm”), possibly from *lacerta* (“lizard”), by analogy of shape, similar to the derivation of ‘muscle’ from *mūsculus* (“little mouse”). Unlike “muscle,” a general term for all contractile tissue, or “tendon,” the inelastic cord tethering that tissue to bone, *lacertus* specifies the gathered architecture of fibers themselves. It is the taut ridge that rises in a blacksmith’s forearm when he grips the hammer, the sinuous swell that slides beneath the skin of a flexed bicep, the visible cord that rolls like a burrowed creature just beneath the surface—the living proof that strength is a coalition of smaller, willing strands.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Late Latin lacertus (“muscle”), from Classical Latin lacertus (“upper arm”), possibly from lacerta (“lizard”). For the semantics, compare muscle from mūsculus (“little mouse”), derived from a supposed resemblance to little mice.
noun
- A bundle or fascicle of muscular fibres.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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