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Glite Dictionary
superior rectus

superior rectus

7.2
A muscle in the eye that turns the eyeball up and toward the nose
  • noun
  • /suːˈpɪəriər ˈrɛktəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : recto superior
  • The superior rectus muscle helps move the eye upward when you look up.

Examples

  • Damage to the superior rectus can affect a person's ability to look straight ahead or up.

  • The doctor checked the function of her superior rectus during the eye examination.

  • The superior rectus muscle helps in eye movement.

  • The superior rectus is crucial for looking up.

  • The superior rectus muscle allows the eye to move upward and align with the center.

  • During the vision test, the doctor evaluated the patient's superior rectus for proper function.

  • If the superior rectus is weak, patients may struggle to look up or see objects directly above.

Synonyms

superior rectus muscle
vssuperior rectus
  • Specialized
6.5

A muscle in the eye that moves the eyeball upward and inward

is the same muscle but named in a slightly different form
rectus superior
vssuperior rectus
  • Specialized
7.8

A muscle that moves the eye upward and inward

has identical meaning but uses an alternative word order

Surface Forms

superior rectus singular
superior rectuses plural

Morphology

superior + rectus

Knowing 'superior' (upper) and 'rectus' (a straight muscle) lets a learner infer that this is an upper/uppermost straight muscle, so the basic referent (an upper muscle) is compositional. However, the precise anatomical location (the eyeball) and the specific action (turning the eye upward and toward the midline) are specialized medical information not fully predictable from the parts, so the transparency is partial.

Etymology

Superior rectus comes from old Latin words superior meaning 'upper' and rectus meaning 'straight'. It is a straight muscle above the eye that pulls the eyeball up and a little toward the nose, so the superior rectus helps you look up and toward the nose.