voluntary muscle

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. muscle whose action is normally controlled by an individual's will; mainly skeletal muscle, composed of parallel bundles of striated, multinucleate fibers.

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Usage

What are voluntary muscles? A voluntary muscle is a muscle that you choose to move, like those in the arms and legs, as opposed to the ones that move automatically, like the heart. Muscle is the tissue in animals that produces movement or motion. Voluntary means done out of free will or by choice. Voluntary muscles are also often called skeletal muscles (because all of the muscles attached to the skeleton are voluntary muscles) or striated muscles (because the muscle fibers make them look striated, or stripy). Example: Around 40 percent of a human’s body mass is made up of voluntary muscles.

Etymology

Origin of voluntary muscle

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

"We aimed to clarify the association of phase angle obtained from the leg using BIA with voluntary muscle strength, twitch contractile properties, and neuromuscular activity," says Assistant Prof. Hirata.

From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2024

ALS, which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosisis, is a progressive, degenerative disease that destroys the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 16, 2021

All the treatment will be free, but to be eligible patients must have no feeling or voluntary muscle function below the injury and they must be prepared to spend around three years in Poland.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2016

A disease affecting about one in ten thousand Americans, cataplexy involves the occasional, sudden loss of voluntary muscle control.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2014

Take out a morsel on the slip of glass, and tease as directed for the voluntary muscle.

From A Practical Physiology by Blaisdell, Albert F.