Muscle

//ˈmʌs.əl//

Origin: "Muscle" comes from Latin "musculus," which literally means "little mouse." The Romans thought the movement of muscles under the skin, especially the bicep flexing, looked like a small mouse running. The same diminutive form gives us "mussel" (the shellfish), named because its shape and the way it clings to rocks also suggested a little mouse. Flex your arm and look: the Romans were not entirely wrong.

Tip: The figurative power of "muscle" is immense precisely because the physical metaphor is so vivid. "The company needs more marketing muscle" instantly conveys strength, effort, and force. "Political muscle," "military muscle," "creative muscle", each borrows the body's authority. When you want to convey power that is earned through effort rather than granted by position, "muscle" is the word.

Words that Rhyme with "muscle" (13 found)

Unknown13

hustle bustle tussle rustle russell mussel russel bussell fussell trussell mussell brussel nussle

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.