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plantaris

plantaris

1 9.7
A small thin muscle at the back of the lower leg that helps move the foot
  • noun
  • /plænˈtɛrɪs/
  • Specialized
: plantar
  • When the athlete strained his plantaris, he felt pain in his lower leg.

Examples

  • Their function has shifted plantaris muscle.

  • The plantaris muscle helps with flexing the foot while walking.

  • Surgery on the plantaris is rarely required because it is not a major muscle.

Surface Forms

plantaris singular
plantarises plural

Etymology

Plantaris comes from the Latin word planta meaning 'sole (bottom) of the foot' and the ending -aris meaning 'relating to'. So plantaris is the small muscle 'relating to the sole', which explains why it runs toward the heel and helps move the foot.