levator ani

noun

a broad, thin muscle, situated on the side of the pelvis, that forms part of the pelvic floor. In humans it supports the viscera in pelvic cavity and in quadruped animals with tails it is the muscle used to wag the tail.

Meanings

nounlevator ani (plural levatores ani)

plural levatores ani

  1. anatomya broad, thin muscle, situated on the side of the pelvis, that forms part of the pelvic floor. In humans it supports the viscera in pelvic cavity and in quadruped animals with tails it is the muscle used to wag the tail.

    The levatores ani muscles originate Anal Triangle along the internal aspects of the os coxae.

    1986, Bernard Liebgott, The Anatomical Basis of Dentistry, page 72
    2 more examples

    He had not mentioned suture of the levatores ani muscles, as he considered it a minor part of the operation.

    1921, The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the British Empire, page 279

    Supports of the Uterus The uterus is supported mainly by (1) the tone of the levatores ani muscles and (2) the condensations of pelvic fascia, which form three important ligaments.

    1992, Richard S. Snell, Clinical Anatomy for Medical Students, page 361

Origin

Translations

Finnish peräaukon kohottajalihas
  • peräaukon kohottajalihasmuscle
Cite this entry
APA

levator ani. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/levator%20ani

MLA

“levator ani.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/levator%20ani. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “levator ani,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/levator%20ani.

Source: levator ani on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.