voluntary muscle
1
3.4
- noun
- /ˈvɑːlənˌtɛri ˈmʌsəl/
- Specialized
:
músculo voluntario
- Learning to play the piano requires precise control over voluntary muscles in the fingers and hands.
- voluntary muscles control
- nerves that control voluntary muscles
Examples
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Skeletal voluntary muscles are the muscles we can consciously control, such as those in our arms and legs.
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So far, it was just sensory nerves and voluntary muscles and nerves.
Fiction book (1992) -
When a person has ALS, their motor neurons, the cells responsible for all voluntary muscle control in the body, lose function and die.
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ALS is a progressive deterioration of the nerves that control the voluntary muscles.
Academic text (1991) -
The electromyogram recorded from submaximal voluntary muscle activity changes with muscle fatigue.
Academic text (1997) -
Locked-in syndrome, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is defined as "complete paralysis of voluntary muscles in all parts of the body except those that control eye movement."
Blog text (1) -
Electrode placement was confirmed by electrical stimulation of the muscle through the indwelling electrode and by voluntary muscle contraction.
Academic text (1990) -
Subjects with incomplete spinal lesions and minimal lower limb motor function were instructed not to provide voluntary muscle contractions during FES-LCE.
Academic text (1992) -
People with severe spinal cord injuries lose voluntary muscle control of their bowels; if they survive through the years, they have hemorrhoids from periodic episodes of constipation.
Fiction book (1998) -
During exercise, we actively use our voluntary muscles to perform movements like lifting weights or running.
Synonyms
3
3.8
A body part attached to bones that pulls them to move the body, often with stripes
Antonyms
- Specialized
1
4.2
A muscle in organs like the stomach or bladder that works without you thinking, not the heart
How Voluntary
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'voluntary' (consciously controlled) modifies 'muscle' (tissue that produces movement), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to muscles under conscious control (i.e., skeletal muscles). This is a standard adjective+noun construction and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase voluntary muscle comes from the simple idea of muscles you can move by choice. Imagine raising your hand. That is a voluntary action by a muscle, so the phrase means 'a muscle you move on purpose'.