LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

mūsculus

mūsculus m (genitive mūsculī)
Classical[ˈmuːs.kʊ.ɫʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈmus.ku.lus]

Meaning

  1. diminutiveliterallydiminutive of mūs: a small mouse
  2. a companion of the whale
  3. a saltwater mussel
  4. a muscle
  5. a shed, mantelet, shielding
  6. a kind of small sailing vessel

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

tēctum quod movētur
shed (siege "little mouse")
mūsculus -ī (m) — in De Bello Gallico III, ch. 21

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativemūsculusmūsculī
genitivemūsculīmūsculōrum
dativemūsculōmūsculīs
accusativemūsculummūsculōs
ablativemūsculōmūsculīs
vocativemūsculemūsculī

muscŭlus, i, m. dim. mus,
I. a little mouse.
I. Lit., Cic. Div. 2, 14, 33; Plin. 27, 7, 28, § 52.—
II. Transf.
A. Of other creatures.
1. A companion of the whale, Plin. 9, 62, 88, § 186; called musculus marinus, id. 11, 37, 62, § 165.—
2. A sea-mussel, Cels. 3, 6; 2, 29; Plaut. Rud. 2, 1, 9 (al. mytilus). —
B. Of things.
1. A muscle of the body: quodcunque musculum laesit, Cels. 5, 26, 3; 8, 1: femorum, Luc. 9, 771.—Trop., muscle, vigor (post-Aug.): hanc (historiam) ossa, musculi, nervi decent, vigor, force, Plin. Ep. 5, 8, 10.—
2. In milit. lang., a shed, mantelet (cf.: vinea, testudo); for its form and construction, v. Caes. B. C. 2, 10, 1; id. B. G. 7, 84; Veg. R. Mil. 4, 16.—
3. A kind of small sailing vessel: longae naves sunt, quas dromones vocamus: dictae eo quod longiores sint ceteris: quibus contrarius musculus, curtum navigium, Isid. Orig. 19, 1.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*múHs
  2. Proto-Italic*mūs
  3. Latinmūsculus

Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Proto-Italic *-kelos Latin -culus ▲ Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs)sl. Latin mūsculus From mūs (“mouse”) + -culus (diminutive suffix), literally “little mouse”. The “muscle” sense is a semantic loan from Ancient Greek μῦς (mûs, “mouse; mussel; muscle”), compare also Russian мы́шца (mýšca, “muscle”).

Descendants
  • Catalanmuscle
  • Catalanmusclo
  • Italianmuscolo
  • Italianmoscolo
  • Occitanmuscle
  • Frenchmoulefrom Old French moule
  • Romanianmușchi
  • Spanishmuslo
  • Catalanmúscul
  • Englishmusculus

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesMusculusMusculus was a shelter for soldiers engaged in undermining the enemy's walls or towers (Caes. B.C. 2.10; Isid. Orig. 18.11, 4), or in filling up the d…

Quick answers

What does mūsculus mean in Latin?
mūsculus, a noun, means “diminutive of mūs: a small mouse; a companion of the whale; a saltwater mussel”.
What is the genitive of mūsculus?
The genitive singular is mūsculī. mūsculus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce mūsculus?
In classical Latin, [ˈmuːs.kʊ.ɫʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈmus.ku.lus].
Where does mūsculus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *múHs → Proto-Italic *mūs → Latin mūsculus.