extensor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a muscle whose contraction straightens a limb or increases the angle at a joint

   The extensor on the back of the forearm straightens the wrist.

Common collocations

• extensor muscle Noun + noun

Shortened from medical Latin musculus extensor, 'extending muscle.' Extensor is the agent noun of Latin extendere, 'to stretch out,' from ex-, 'out,' + tendere, 'to stretch.' Anatomical use contrasts an extensor with a flexor, which bends a joint.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
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