rectus

American

[rek-tuhs] / ˈrɛk təs /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

recti

any of several straight muscles, as of the abdomen, thigh, eye, etc.

rectus British

/ ˈrɛktəs /

noun

anatomy a straight muscle, esp either of two muscles of the anterior abdominal wall ( rectus abdominis )

"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

Etymology

Origin of rectus

1695–1705; < New Latin rēctus ( musculus ) straight (muscle)

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.

The diagnosis was a low-grade lesion of the rectus femoris muscle and the end of his season.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2023

My hands, the thin skin below my eyes, the rectus femoris muscles that connect hips to knees.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2022

The quadriceps femoris is made of four muscles: the rectus femoris, the vastus lateralis, the vastus medius, and the vastus intermedius, which together extend the knee.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

For example, when the superior rectus contracts, the eye rotates to look up.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

It was necessary for him to stand, not only rectus in curia—but rectus with “Squire Raymond,” and all his other attentive patrons.

From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old

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