biceps

See also bíceps

English

Wikipedia

Biceps brachii; the biceps of the arm.

Etymology

From Latin biceps (“double-headed, two peaked”), from bis (“double”) + caput (“head”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /ˈbaɪ.sɛps/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

biceps (plural biceps or bicepses)

1. (anatomy) Any muscle having two heads.
   • 1901, Michael Foster & Lewis E. Shore, Physiology for Beginners‎, page 73

     The leg is bent by the action of the flexor muscles situated on the back of the thigh, the chief of these being called the biceps of the leg.

2. Specifically, the biceps brachii, the flexor of the elbow.
   • 1996, Robert Kennedy & Dwayne Hines II, Animal Arms‎, page 21

     The arm muscles are the show muscles of the physique. When someone asks to "see your muscles," they are most likely referring to your arms, and more specifically, your biceps.

3. (informal) The upper arm, especially the collective muscles of the upper arm.
   • 1964 Dec, “Muscles are His Business”, Ebony‎, volume 20, number 2, page 147: 

     Today, Stonewall's flexed biceps measure 18 inches around.

   • 2005, Lisa Plumley, Once Upon a Christmas‎, page 144

     Biting her lip, she held his biceps for balance and waded farther.

4. (prosody) A point in a metrical pattern that can be filled either with one long syllable (a longum) or two short syllables (two brevia)
   • 1987, Martin Litchfield West, Introduction to Greek Metre

     Also it is advisable to distinguish this ( ˘ ˘ ) — ˘ ˘ — rhythm, where the princeps was probably shorter in duration than the biceps (as in the dactylic hexameter), from true (marching) anapaests, in which they were equal.

   • 2000, James I. Porter, Nietzsche and the Philology of the Future, page 347

     This means that in the metrical sequence […] recited in ordinary speech rhythm, the princeps occupied a slightly shorter time than the biceps (5:6), and if a long syllable was used to fill the biceps it had to be dragged a little […]

Usage notes

• Now often taken as plural form; see bicep.

Synonyms

• (the biceps brachii): biceps brachii, biceps cubiti
• (the upper arm): guns, pythons, upper arm

Antonyms

• (prosody): princeps

Derived terms

• bicep
• biceps curl

Related terms

biceps brachii biceps cubiti biceps femoris

bicipital triceps quadriceps

Translations

any muscle having two heads

• Arabic: ذات الرأسين (ar) (ðaat ar-raʔsain) f

  Egyptian Arabic: ذات الرأسين (zaat er-raʔsén) f

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 二頭肌 (cmn), 二头肌 (cmn) (èrtóujī), 肱二頭肌 (cmn), 肱二头肌 (cmn) (gōng'èrtóujī)

• Czech: biceps (cs) m
• Dutch: biceps (nl) m
• Finnish: kaksipäinen lihas (fi)
• French: biceps (fr) m
• Galician: bíceps (gl) m
• Georgian: ბიცეფსი (ka) (bic'ep'si)

• German: Bizeps (de) m
• Italian: bicipite (it) m
• Japanese: 二頭筋 (ja) (にとうきん, nitōkin)
• Marathi: द्विशिरस्का (mr) (dwi-shiraska) f
• Portuguese: bíceps (pt)
• Romanian: biceps (ro) m
• Russian: бицепс (ru) (bíceps) m
• Spanish: bíceps (es) m
• Turkish: iki başlı (tr)

biceps brachii — see biceps brachii

the upper arm, especially the muscles

• Arabic: ذات الرأسين العضدية (ar) (ðaat ar-raʔsain al-ʕaḍudiya) f

  Egyptian Arabic: باي (bai) f

• Finnish: hauis (fi), olkavarsi (fi)
• Latin: lacertus (la) m

• Turkish: pazı (tr)

(prosody) point in a metrical poem

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Dutch

Wikipedia ^nl

Etymology

From Latin biceps (“two-headed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbi.sɛps/

• Audio (NL)

  (file)

Noun

biceps m (plural bicepsen, diminutive bicepsje)

1. (anatomy) biceps; any two-headed muscle
2. the biceps brachii
   • 2007, C. A. Bastiaanssen, Anatomie en Fysiologie‎, page 387

     De biceps en de triceps zijn elkaars antagonisten.

     The biceps and the triceps are each other's antagonist.

Synonyms

• (biceps brachii): buigspier, spierballen, tweehoofdige armbuigspier

See also

• tweekoppige

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French

Wikipedia ^fr

Etymology

From Latin biceps (“double-headed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bi.sɛps/

Noun

biceps m (plural biceps)

1. (anatomy) biceps (any two-headed muscle)
2. the biceps brachii
   • 1978, Freddy Buache, Cinéma Anglais, page 154

     Mais Bronson se définit uniquement par son physique (biceps, démarche souple) et non par la densité de sa présence ce qui limite ses possibilités d'emploi.

     But Bronson is defined only by his physique (biceps, supple gait) and not by the density of his presence which limits his employment possibilities.

Derived terms

• avoir du biceps
• biceps brachial
• biceps crural
• biceps fémoral

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Latin

aquila biceps (double-headed eagle)

Alternative forms

• bicapitēs
• bicipēs

Etymology

From bis (“double”) + caput (“head”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA: /ˈbi.keps/

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

• (Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈbi.tʃɛps/

• Audio (Ecclesiatical)

  (file)

Adjective

biceps m, f, n, (genitive bicipitis); third declension

1. double-headed, having two heads
   • 8 CE, Publius Ovidius Naso, Fasti Liber I, linea 65

     Iane biceps, anni tacite labentis origo

     Two-headed Janus, source of the quietly passing year

2. (of mountains) having two summits or peaks
   • ca. 8 CE, Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book II, lines 221

     ardet in inmensum geminatis ignibus Aetne
     Parnasosque biceps et Eryx et Cynthus et Othrys

     Aetna blazes in immense doubled flames
     and twin-peaked Parnasus and Eryx, Cynthus and Othrys

3. (of swords) double-edged
   • 405, Jerome and others, Vulgate, Proverbia 5:4b

     acuta quasi gladius biceps

     as sharp as a two-edged sword

4. divided into two parts

Inflection

Number	Singular			Plural
Case \ Gender	M.F.	N.		MM.FF.	NN.
nominative	biceps	biceps		bicipitēs	bicipitia
genitive	bicipitis	bicipitis		bicipitium	bicipitium
dative	bicipitī	bicipitī		bicipitibus	bicipitibus
accusative	bicipitem	biceps		bicipitēs	bicipitia
ablative	bicipitī	bicipitī		bicipitibus	bicipitibus
vocative	biceps	biceps		bicipitēs	bicipitia

Synonyms

• (double-headed): anceps

Related terms

• anceps
• caput
• centiceps
• triceps

Descendants

Asturian: bíceps Catalan: bíceps English: biceps, bicipital French: biceps Galician: bíceps

Italian: bicipite Portuguese: bíceps Romanian: biceps Spanish: bíceps

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Polish

Biceps

Etymology

From Latin biceps (“two-headed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈbi.tsɛps/

Noun

biceps m

1. biceps brachii

Declension

    declension of biceps

	singular	plural
nominative	biceps	bicepsy
genitive	bicepsa	bicepsów
dative	bicepsowi	bicepsom
accusative	biceps (bicepsa)	bicepsy
instrumental	bicepsem	bicepsami
locative	bicepsie	bicepsach
vocative	bicepsie	bicepsy

Quotations

• 1970, Stanisław Lorentz, Walka o Dobra Kultury, Warszawa 1939-1945, Volume 2, page 27

  I właśnie wtedy przyszło mi na myśl uratowanie prasy powstańczej, którą bardzo troskliwie zbierałem do 2 września, to jest do dnia podpalenia naszego domu, a jednocześnie dnia, kiedy zostałem ranny w prawy biceps.

• 1994, Związek Literatów Polskich, Dialog: Miesięcznik Poświęcony Dramaturgii Współczesnej, page 13

  Podwija rękaw i napina starczy biceps.
  LEO: Dziękuję, stąd widzę.
  STARZEC (klepie się po bicepsie): Niebywałe!

  He [Starzec] rolls up his sleeve and tenses elderly biceps.
  LEO: Thanks, I see it from here.
  STARZEC (taps himself on the biceps): Unheard of!

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Romanian

Etymology

From French, Latin biceps (“two-headed”).

Noun

biceps m

1. biceps; any two-headed muscle
2. the biceps brachii

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Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bǐtseps/
• Hyphenation: bi‧ceps

Noun

bìceps m (Cyrillic spelling бѝцепс)

1. biceps

Declension

    declension of biceps

	singular	plural
nominative	bìceps	bicepsi
genitive	bicepsa	bȉcēpsā
dative	bicepsu	bicepsima
accusative	biceps	bicepse
vocative	bicepse	bicepsi
locative	bicepsu	bicepsima
instrumental	bicepsom	bicepsima