The Greeks and Romans conducted the first studies done on the human body in Western

culture. The educated class of subsequent societies studied Latin and Greek, and therefore the
early pioneers of anatomy continued to apply Latin and Greek terminology or roots when they
named the skeletal muscles

Anatomists name the skeletal muscles according to a number of criteria, each of which describes
the muscle in some way.

these include naming the muscle after its shape, its size compared to other muscles in the area,
its location in the body or the location of its attachments to the skeleton, how many origins it has,
or its action.

The skeletal muscle’s anatomical location or its relationship to a particular bone often determines
its name.

the frontalis muscle is located on top of the frontal bone of the skull. Similarly, the shapes of
some muscles are very distinctive and the names, such as orbicularis, reflect the shape. For the
buttocks, the size of the muscles influences the names: gluteus maximus (largest),
gluteus medius (medium), and the gluteus minimus (smallest). Names were given to indicate
length—brevis (short), longus (long)—and to identify position relative to the midline: lateralis (to
the outside away from the midline), and medialis (toward the midline). The direction of the
muscle fibers and fascicles are used to describe muscles relative to the midline, such as
the rectus (straight) abdominis, or the oblique (at an angle) muscles of the abdomen.
Some muscle names indicate the number of muscles in a groupt
The location of a muscle’s attachment can also appear in its name. When the name of a muscle
is based on the attachments, the origin is always named first. For instance, the
sternocleidomastoid muscle of the neck has a dual origin on the sternum (sterno) and clavicle
(cleido), and it inserts on the mastoid process of the temporal bone. The last feature by which to
name a muscle is its action. When muscles are named for the movement they produce, one can
find action words in their name. Some examples are flexor (decreases the angle at the
joint), extensor (increases the angle at the joint), abductor (moves the bone away from the
midline), or adductor (moves the bone toward the midline).
Lang, D. L. (2013). Naming Skeletal Muscles (p. Chapter37). OpenStax.
https://guides.hostos.cuny.edu/bio140/11-37

How many name muscles are there?

There are seven ways that muscles can be named. Muscles can be named based
on their location and muscle attachment points. They are also named on their
size, shape, action, the number of divisions, and muscle fiber direction.
What are the names of muscle in the human body?
There are close to 600 muscles in the human body. These muscles all have
scientific names that are based on Latin. The names are descriptors based on
things like size, shape, and muscle fiber direction to name a few. An example
would be the Fibularis Longus muscle which indicates a longer muscle in a pair
that covers the Fibula bone.

Andreas Vesalius was a physician in the 1500s that gave many of the
scientific names of the muscles still used today.
https://study.com/cimages/multimages/16/portrait_of_andreas_vesalius3937868741552208576.jpg

Cheprasov, A., & Taktak, A. (n.d.). How are Muscles Named? Study.com.
https://study.com/learn/lesson/how-are-skeletal-muscles-named.html#:~:text=There%20are
%20seven%20ways%20that,divisions%2C%20and%20muscle%20fiber%20direction.
 Understanding a Muscle Name from the Latin: Here are two examples of how root words
describe the location and function of muscles

 Muscle Shape: The names of some muscles reflect their shape. For example, the
deltoid is a large, triangular-shaped muscle that covers the shoulder. It is so-named
because the Greek letter delta is a triangle.
 Muscle Location: The skeletal muscle’s anatomical location or its relationship to a
particular bone often determines its name. For example, the frontalis muscle is located
on top of the frontal bone of the skull. Other examples are muscles of the arm that
include the term brachii (of the arm).
 Muscle Size: For the buttocks, the size of the muscles influences the names:
gluteus maximus (largest), gluteus medius (medium), and the
gluteus minimus (smallest). Another example are the pectoral muscles
including major or minor.
o Names are often used to indicate length, which is related to muscle size. For
example, brevis (short), longus (long).
 Muscle Fiber Direction: The direction of the muscle fibers and fascicles are used to
describe muscles. For example, the abdominal muscles all indicate (remove indicated)
the direction of the fibers such as the rectus (straight), the obliques (at an angle) and
the transverse (horizontal) muscles of the abdomen.
 Number of Muscle Origins (or muscles in a group): Some muscle names indicate the
number of muscles origins, or number of muscles in a group, depending upon one’s
perspective.
 T he last feature by which to name a muscle is its action. When muscles are named for the
movement they produce, one can find action words in their name. Some examples
are flexors (decrease the angle at the joint), extensors (increase the angle at the
joint), abductors (move the bone away from the midline), or adductors (move the bone
toward the midline).

(n.d.). Explain the criteria used to name skeletal muscles. ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY.
https://open.oregonstate.education/aandp/chapter/11-3-explain-the-criteria-used-to-name-
skeletal-muscles/