biceps

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biceps
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biceps

biceps relaxed to extend forearm
biceps contracted to raise forearm
(Carlyn Iverson)
('sĕps') pronunciation
n., pl., biceps, or -ceps·es (-sĕp'sĭz).
  1. A muscle with two heads or points of origin.
    1. The large muscle at the front of the upper arm that flexes the forearm. Also called biceps brachii.
    2. The large muscle at the back of the thigh that flexes the knee joint. Also called biceps femoris.

[From Latin, two-headed : bi-, two; see bi-1 + caput, head.]



is spelt the same in the plural.

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A two-headed muscle. The term is often used as an abbreviation for biceps brachii.

One of the muscles for bending the elbow, and therefore a determinant of strength for lifting — the glass to the lips, or loads a great deal heavier. Being a discrete and visible muscle, especially when well-developed, it is often displayed as the epitomy of body-building. It is so-named because it has two ‘heads’; both are attached to the scapula (shoulder blade) above the shoulder joint. Each ‘head’ swells into the dual belly of the muscle; this gathers below into a short tendon spanning the front of the elbow joint to be attached on the upper end of the radius.

— Stuart Judge

See musculo-skeletal system.

biceps ('sĕps), any muscle having two heads, or fixed ends of attachment, notably the biceps brachii at the front of the upper arm and the biceps femoris in the thigh. Originating in the shoulder area, the heads of the biceps merge partway down the arm to form a rounded mass of tissue linked by a tendon to the radius, the smaller of the two forearm bones. When the biceps contracts, the tendon is pulled toward the heads, thus bending the arm at the elbow. For this reason the biceps is called a flexor. It works in coordination with the triceps brachii, an extensor. The biceps also controls rotation of the forearm to a palm-up position, as in turning a doorknob. The size and solidity of the contracted biceps are a traditional measure of physical strength.


A muscle having two heads. There is a biceps muscle in both fore- and hindlimbs. See also bicipital.

  • b. brachii — is a large fusiform muscle lying on the cranial surface of the humerus. Its function is to flex the elbow and integrate the actions of the shoulder and elbow. A medial displacement of the tendon of origin has been reported in dogs, causing a weight-bearing lameness.
  • b. femoris — a large muscle of the caudolateral part of the thigh. Its function is to extend the hindlimb when propelling the body, during rearing or kicking. All of the joints are affected except those of the digit.
  • — Rupture of the muscle causes acute hindlimb lameness in cattle. Resembles an intermittent upward fixation of the patella, with extension of the stifle and hock.
  • b. reflex — is elicited in dogs by striking a finger placed on the biceps tendon on the craniomedial aspect of the elbow. An active reflex indicates intact spinal cord segments and nerve roots C6–8 and musculocutaneous nerve. It becomes exaggerated in disease of the upper motor neuron.
  • b. tendon ossification — causes lameness in the horse. Is radiographically apparent.
Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'biceps'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to biceps, see:

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - biceps, overarmsmuskel

Nederlands (Dutch)
biceps, spierkracht

Français (French)
n. - biceps

Deutsch (German)
n. - Bizeps

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. pl. - δικέφαλος μυς (κν. ποντίκι) του μπράτσου

Italiano (Italian)
bicipite

Português (Portuguese)
n. pl. - bíceps (m pl) (Anat.)

Русский (Russian)
бицепс

Español (Spanish)
n. - bíceps

Svenska (Swedish)
n. pl. - biceps

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
二头肌, 强健的筋肉

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 二頭肌, 強健的筋肉

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 이두근, 근력

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 二頭筋

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الجمع) عضلات الذراع الأعلى‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שריר הזרוע, קיבורת‬


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