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Glite Dictionary
buccinator muscle

buccinator muscle

8.4
A thin muscle in the cheek that presses the cheek against the teeth to hold food or help blow air
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌkɪneɪtər ˈmʌsəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : músculo buccinador
  • When you chew, your buccinator muscle helps keep food between your teeth.

Examples

  • The buccinator muscle is crucial for blowing air and playing wind instruments.

  • Weakness in the buccinator muscle can cause problems with speech and swallowing.

  • The buccinator muscle helps in chewing food.

  • Can you identify the buccinator muscles in this diagram?

  • The buccinator muscle flattens the cheek while you blow a trumpet.

  • Damage to the buccinator muscle may lead to difficulty in maintaining food between the teeth.

  • The buccinator muscle plays an important role when smiling by pulling back the corners of the mouth.

Synonyms

musculus buccinator
vsbuccinator muscle
  • Specialized
9.6

A cheek muscle that flattens the cheek and pulls back the corner of the mouth

is the common English anatomical name used in general contexts
cheek muscle
vsbuccinator muscle
  • Specialized
4.2

A part of the face that flattens the cheek and pulls back the corner of the mouth

is one specific thin facial muscle rather than a general facial one

Surface Forms

buccinator muscle singular
buccinator muscles plural

Morphology

buccinator + muscle

The construction 'buccinator muscle' is partially transparent because the headword 'muscle' clearly signals it is a type of muscle, which a B1 learner who knows 'muscle' can infer. However 'buccinator' is an obscure, Latin-derived anatomical label whose specific location and function (cheek-flattening, pulling back mouth angle) are not derivable from the word for an average B1 learner, so the overall phrase is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Buccinator muscle may come from the Latin words buccina (a small 'trumpet') or bucca ('cheek'). Picture a trumpet player blowing and squeezing the cheek. The muscle flattens the cheek to help 'blowing', keep food while 'chewing', and make 'speaking' work, so the name fits its job.