unipennate

U1N1I1P3E1N1N1A1T1E1

adjective

Of, pertaining to, or having the nature of a muscle, the parallel fibres of which attach to a tendon at an acute angle (as a feather that is barbed on one side).

Scrabble 12

Meanings

adjectiveunipennate (not comparable)
  1. not comparableanatomyOf, pertaining to, or having the nature of a muscle, the parallel fibres of which attach to a tendon at an acute angle (as a feather that is barbed on one side).

    The most distal region of the muscle was again unipennate, with fibers oriented between the posterior aponeurosis and the anterior surface of the muscle (Fig. 1D,E).

    2006, Journal of Morphology, volume 267, Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, page 593
    2 more examples

    We applied this method to the proximal aponeurosis of the unipennate medial gastrocnemius muscle (MG) of the cat during active force production at fixed muscle length.

    1998, E. J. Brill, Netherlands Journal of Zoology, volume 48, page 324

    Although only one component of the muscle fiber force is used effectively to move the tendon, the advantage of the unipennate muscle system is that an increased number of sarcomeres can be placed in parallel to increase the effective force of the muscle (figure 2.19).

    2008, William Charles Whiting, Ronald F. Zernicke, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injury, 2nd edition, page 44

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“unipennate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unipennate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unipennate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unipennate.

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