voluntary muscle
Americannoun
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It causes the loss of cells which control voluntary muscle movements and, eventually, patients lose their ability to speak, eat, walk and breathe independently.
From BBC
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive disease that damages nerve cells controlling voluntary muscles, typically causing death two to five years after diagnosis.
From Los Angeles Times
One large part of the cortex, the motor cortex, is known to control the body's voluntary muscle movements, including those involved in speech, while another large section, the auditory cortex, is known to control hearing.
From Science Daily
As the disease progresses, the nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement die.
From Science Daily
"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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
