"muscle" in seven languages
Meaningmuscle
Spanish
músculo
/ˈmuskulo/
masc.learned
French
muscle
/myskl/
masc.learned
Italian
muscolo
/ˈmuskolo/
masc.learned
Portuguese
músculo
/ˈmuskulu/
masc.learned
Romanian
mușchi
/ˈmuʃkʲ/
masc.inherited
plural: mușchi
MUSCULUM came down by mouth: the same word also means 'moss'.
Catalan
múscul
/ˈmuskul/
masc.learned
English
muscle
/ˈmʌsəl/
from Latin/French · French muscle, Latin MUSCULUS
English → ItalianmusclemuscoloCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MUSCULUM‘little mouse; muscle (from MŪS 'mouse')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A flexing muscle looked to the Romans like a little mouse running under the skin: MUSCULUS is 'little mouse'. The same word gave English mussel.
English relatives: muscular, mussel, mouse
Learn it
In a sentence
- esMe di un tirón en un músculo jugando al tenis.
- frJe me suis froissé un muscle en jouant au tennis.
- itMi sono stirato un muscolo giocando a tennis.
- ptDistendi um músculo jogando tênis.
- roMi-am întins un mușchi jucând tenis.
- caM'he estirat un múscul jugant a tennis.
- enI pulled a muscle playing tennis.