splenius

[ splee-nee-uh s ]
/ ˈspli ni əs /

noun, plural sple·ni·i [splee-nee-nee-ahy] /ˈspli ni niˌaɪ/. Anatomy.

a broad muscle on each side of the back of the neck and the upper part of the thoracic region, the action of which draws the head backward and assists in turning it to one side.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of splenius

1725–35; < New Latin, for Latin splēnium < Greek splēníon plaster, patch

OTHER WORDS FROM splenius

sple·ni·al, adjectivesub·sple·ni·al, adjective

Words nearby splenius

splenic sinus, splenic vein, splenitis, splenium, splenium corporis callosi, splenius, splenius muscle of head, splenius muscle of neck, spleno-, splenocele, splenodynia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for splenius

  • When the splenius contracts it extends the head and neck, while inclining them to its own side.

    Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer

  • This latter relation is also found in the ox, but the splenius in this case is but slightly developed.

    Artistic Anatomy of Animals|douard Cuyer

British Dictionary definitions for splenius

splenius
/ (ˈspliːnɪəs) /

noun plural -nii (-nɪˌaɪ)

anatomy either of two flat muscles situated at the back of the neck that rotate, flex, and extend the head and neck

Derived forms of splenius

splenial, adjective

Word Origin for splenius

C18: via New Latin from Greek splēnion a plaster
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