biceps
Meaning
a large muscle at the front of the upper arm that bends the elbow.
a muscle having two points of origin at one end.
Structure
Usage
he flexed his biceps to show off his strength.
the biceps brachii is the primary muscle involved in elbow flexion.
regular curls are an effective exercise for building the biceps.
Etymology
The word 'biceps' is a direct borrowing from Latin, where it functioned as an adjective meaning 'two-headed'. It is formed from 'bi-' (two) and '-ceps', a variant of 'caput' (head). In anatomical Latin, it was applied to muscles, specifically those with two origins or 'heads' at their proximal end. This literal description was retained in Modern English, where it primarily refers to the prominent two-headed muscle of the upper arm, though it can technically describe any muscle with a similar dual structure.
Analysis
'bi' is a combining form from latin 'bis', meaning 'twice' or 'two'. 'ceps' is from latin 'caput', meaning 'head', here used in the sense of an anatomical origin or attachment point.