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Glite Dictionary
musculus serratus anterior

musculus serratus anterior

8.1
A muscle at the side of the chest that lifts the shoulder blade and helps raise the ribs when breathing
  • noun
  • /ˈmʌskjələs ˈsɛrətəs ænˈtɪrɪər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : músculo serrato anterior
  • The musculus serratus anterior plays a crucial role in allowing you to lift your arms above your head.

Examples

  • During exercise, the musculus serratus anterior helps stabilize the shoulder blade.

  • Weakness in the musculus serratus anterior can lead to difficulty pushing objects away from the chest.

  • Proper breathing techniques can help engage the musculus serratus anterior during strenuous activity.

  • The musculus serratus anterior plays a crucial role in shoulder movement.

  • Proper breathing techniques can help engage the musculus serratus anterior during strenuous activity.

  • The musculus serratus anterior plays a crucial role in allowing you to lift your arms above your head.

  • Weakness in the musculus serratus anterior can lead to difficulty pushing objects away from the chest.

Synonyms

serratus anterior
vsmusculus serratus anterior
  • Specialized
6.8

A muscle on the side of the chest that moves the shoulder blade and helps lift the ribs

is the same muscle described more technically as chest side tissue
anterior serratus muscle
vsmusculus serratus anterior
  • Specialized
4.8

A muscle that helps turn the shoulder blade and lift the ribs

is the same muscle but named with a different word order
serratus magnus
vsmusculus serratus anterior
  • Specialized
9.6

A large chest muscle on the side that helps move the shoulder blade and lift the ribs

is the same muscle but without implying larger size

Surface Forms

musculus serratus anterior singular
musculi serrati anteriores plural

Morphology

musculus + serratus + anterior

The term is compositional: musculus (muscle) + serratus (saw-toothed) + anterior (front) yields a literal description ‘front, saw-toothed muscle,’ so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it refers to a muscle at the front side of the ribcage. Although the form is Latin and technical, anatomical naming conventions are cross-linguistically regular, so the meaning is derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Musculus serratus anterior comes from Latin words that paint a clear picture: musculus means 'muscle', serratus means 'saw-like' because its edge looks like the teeth of a saw, and anterior means 'front'. This saw-like muscle on the side of the chest pulls the shoulder blade forward and helps lift the ribs when you breathe, so the name fits what it does.