5.4 Naming Muscles
Muscles are typically named based on the Latin or Greek root words that describe the action, location, direction of fibres, number of heads, and/or points of attachment for a given muscle. Rather than simply memorizing the names of the muscles that will be introduced later in this chapter, it is best practice to understand why they are named the way they are. This method will provide further insight into describing where the muscle is located, what it does, where it attaches, etc. and will provide a much more comprehensive understanding of muscular anatomy. The chart below explains the naming of musculature in more detail.
| Naming Convention | Examples |
|---|---|
| Muscle Action | Adductor Magnus, where Adductor refers to the action/movement the muscle produces when contracted. |
| Fibre Direction | Rectus Abdominus, where Rectus refers to muscle fibres oriented vertically. |
| Muscle Location | Tibialis Anterior, where Anterior refers to the muscle’s location on the anterior aspect of the body. |
| Number of Heads/Divisions | Triceps Brachii, where “Tri-” refers to the muscles’ 3 heads (lateral, long, & medial). |
| Muscle Shape | Deltoids, where “delt-” refers to the Greek letter delta, describing the muscle’s triangular shape. |
| Muscle Attachment | Sternocleidomastoid, referring to the muscles’ attachments at the “sterno-” (sternum), “cleido-” (clavicle), and “mastoid” (mastoid process of the skull). |
When working through each muscle in this chapter, try breaking down each component of the name into one of these categories, almost as if to solve the puzzle embedded in each muscle’s name.
Video: How are Muscles Named?
The following video reiterates the naming of musculature and includes many muscles which are not included in the course material.
Video: “How are muscles named? – Terminology – Human Anatomy | Kenhub” by Kenhub – Learn Human Anatomy [11:31] is licensed under the Standard YouTube License.Transcript and closed captions available on YouTube.
