sarcomere

American

[sahr-kuh-meer] / ˈsɑr kəˌmɪər /

noun

Biology.

any of the segments of myofibril in striated muscle fibers.

sarcomere British

/ ˈsɑːkəʊˌmɪə /

noun

any of the units that together comprise skeletal muscle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sarcomere Scientific

/ sär′kə-mîr′ /

The contractile unit of a skeletal muscle fiber. Sarcomeres are divided into bands of filaments made of actin or myosin. During muscle contraction, the filaments slide over each other to cause shortening of the sarcomere.

Etymology

Origin of sarcomere

First recorded in 1890–95; sarco- + -mere

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Figure 10.5 The Sarcomere The sarcomere, the region from one Z-line to the next Z-line, is the functional unit of a skeletal muscle fiber.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Figure 10.14 The Ideal Length of a Sarcomere Sarcomeres produce maximal tension when thick and thin filaments overlap between about 80 percent to 120 percent.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023