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Glite Dictionary
involuntary muscle

involuntary muscle

1 4.2
A muscle in organs like the stomach or bladder that works without you thinking, not the heart
  • noun
  • /ˌɪnvəˈlʌntəri ˈmʌsəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : músculo involuntario
  • The involuntary muscle in your intestines helps to push food through the digestive tract.
  • involuntary muscle contraction

Examples

  • Breathing relies on involuntary muscles, allowing you to inhale and exhale automatically.

  • It's like an involuntary muscle.

    Cattle Call (2006)

  • Involuntary muscles work on their own.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Hiccups are caused by a sudden contraction of the diaphragm, an involuntary muscle used in breathing.

Synonyms

smooth muscle
vsinvoluntary muscle
  • Specialized
1 3.9

Muscle in the walls of organs and blood vessels that works without thinking

focuses on tissue that contracts without conscious control but not in the heart

Antonyms

voluntary muscle
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A part of the body you can move when you want that moves bones

How Voluntary

voluntary muscle
  • Specialized
1 3.4
involuntary muscle
  • Specialized
1 4.2

Surface Forms

involuntary muscle singular
involuntary muscles plural

Morphology

involuntary + muscle

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'involuntary' (without conscious control) with 'muscle' (body tissue that produces movement), so a learner will infer it denotes a muscle that contracts automatically. This adjective+noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern and therefore readily understandable by a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Involuntary muscle comes from the clear image of a muscle that is involuntary, so it moves 'without you thinking about it', like your stomach squeezing food while you sleep. That's why it means 'a muscle that works without you thinking about it'.