splenius

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/ˈspliː.ni.əs/

noun

Either of two flat oblique muscles which are attached to the vertebrae on each side of the neck and upper thoracic region and which draw back the head.

Similar
splenius muscle
OriginLatin splēnius →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounsplenius (plural splenii)

plural splenii · alternative splenius muscle

  1. anatomyEither of two flat oblique muscles which are attached to the vertebrae on each side of the neck and upper thoracic region and which draw back the head.

    He caressed and parted [...] her lank loose, nearly lumbus-length (when she threw her head back as now) black silks as he tried to get at her bed-warm splenius.

    1969, Владимир Набоков, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, page 89

Synonyms & antonyms

nouneither of two flat muscles that extend from the upper vertebrae to the base of the skull and serve to rotate or flex or extend the head and neck

Similar
splenius muscle
Broader
skeletal musclestriated muscle

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinsplēnius
  2. Englishsplenius

Borrowed from Latin splēnius, from splēnium (“a plaster, patch”) + -ius (adjectival suffix).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with splenius

geniusingenious
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

splenius. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/splenius

MLA

“splenius.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/splenius. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “splenius,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/splenius.

Source: splenius on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.