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mus·cu·lar

(mŭskyə-lər)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or consisting of muscle: muscular contraction.

2. Having well-developed muscles: a muscular build.

3. Having or suggesting great forcefulness, especially at the expense of subtlety: muscular reasoning that does not bother with the finer points; muscular advocacy groups.

[From Latin mūsculus, muscle; see MUSCLE.]

mus′cu·lari·ty (-lărĭ-tē) n.

muscu·lar·ly adv.

Synonyms: muscular, brawny, burly, sinewy
These adjectives mean strong and powerfully built: a muscular build; brawny arms; a burly stevedore; a lean and sinewy frame.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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