Standard Lemma guide

trapezius

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /tɹəˈpiːziəs/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A large vertebrate skeletal muscle divided into an ascending, descending, and transverse portion, attaching the neck and central spine to the outer extremity of the scapula; it functions in scapular elevation, adduction, and depression.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

Examples

  • The trapezius muscle resembles a trapezium (trapezoid in American English), or diamond-shaped quadrilateral. The word "spinotrapezius" refers to the human trapezius, although it is not commonly used in modern texts. In other mammals, it refers to a portion of the analogous muscle.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

either of two flat triangular muscles of the shoulder and upper back that are involved in moving the shoulders and arms

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trapezius muscle, cowl muscle, musculus trapezius

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: skeletal muscle, striated muscle

History

Etymology

Unknown but likely derived from Ancient Greek τράπεζα (trápeza).

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شِبْه اَلْمُنْحَرِفَة (šibh al-munḥarifa) — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Arabic: ترابيس (tarabiis) — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Bulgarian: голям трапецовиден мускул (goljam trapecoviden muskul) — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 斜方肌 (xiéfāngjī) — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Finnish: epäkäslihas — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Finnish: epäkäs — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • French: muscle trapèze — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Italian: trapezio — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Japanese: 僧帽筋 (sōbōkin) — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Māori: ua pākau — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Polish: mięsień czworoboczny — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Spanish: trapecio — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Spanish: músculo trapecio — large vertebrate skeletal muscle
  • Turkish: trapez kası — large vertebrate skeletal muscle