myotome

1 9.9

A group of muscles served by one spinal nerve or the embryo part that becomes muscles

noun
/ˈmaɪəˌtoʊm/

Specialized

: miotomo

Damage to a spinal nerve can affect the myotome it supplies, leading to muscle weakness.

Examples

The myotome is crucial for muscle development.
Each myotome corresponds to a specific spinal nerve.
The neurologist tested each myotome to assess muscle strength in the patient's limbs.
During embryonic development, every myotome gives rise to specific muscle groups.
During embryonic development, the myotome gives rise to the skeletal muscles of the body.
The doctor explained that each myotome is innervated by a specific spinal nerve.
In her research, she focused on how the myotome regulates muscle formation during early stages of development.

Surface Forms

myotome singular

myotomes plural

Morphology

myotome = myo- + -tome (opaque) = myo + tome

The parts are technical combining forms (myo-, -tome) that are not productive standalone words for most learners, so the meaning 'muscle section' is not obvious to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Myotome comes from the Greek parts myo- meaning 'muscle' and -tome meaning 'a cut' or 'section', like in anatomy. So a myotome is a 'muscle section', which explains why it means the group of muscles served by one spinal nerve or the part of an embryo that becomes those muscles.