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Glite Dictionary
rectus abdominis

rectus abdominis

1 5.8
A long flat muscle at the front of the stomach that helps you bend and keep your body upright
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛktəs æbˈdɑːmɪnɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : recto abdominal
  • rectus abdominis and obliques
  • targets the rectus abdominis
  • rectus abdominis muscle

Examples

  • These exercises will strengthen the rectus abdominis.

    Blog text (34)

  • Most of us tend to have a strong rectus abdominis but weak transverse abdominis, mainly because we neglect to train it.

    Blog text (32)

  • The rectus abdominis is crucial for maintaining good posture and core stability.

  • During sit-ups, the rectus abdominis contracts to lift the upper body off the ground.

  • To strengthen your core, it's important to engage the rectus abdominis in your workout routines.

Surface Forms

rectus abdominis singular
rectus abdominis plural

Morphology

rectus + abdominis

The phrase is morphologically compositional in Latin—'rectus' (straight) + 'abdominis' (of the abdomen) yields the straight muscle of the abdomen—so the meaning is derivable from the parts if the learner recognises these roots. However, these are technical/Latin medical morphemes rather than everyday English words, and 'abdominis' is not a standard English lemma, so comprehension is conditional on specialised morphological knowledge rather than ordinary vocabulary, making it only partially transparent for B1 learners.

Etymology

Rectus abdominis comes from Latin words rectus meaning 'straight' and abdominis meaning 'of the belly'. The name gives a clear picture of a long, straight muscle down the front of the belly, so it refers today to the main 'six-pack' muscle.