Muscular System

Organization of Muscles

What muscles are named from the location of the muscle’s origin and insertion on bones?

The first part of the muscle name indicates the origin, while the second part indicates the insertion. For example, the muscle that has its origin on the breast bone and clavicle (collarbone) and that inserts on a breast-shaped process of the skull is termed the sternocleidomastoid (from the Greek words sterno, meaning “breast bone,” cleido, meaning “clavicle,” and mastoid, meaning “breast shape.”)



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