trapezius

noun

tra·​pe·​zi·​us trə-ˈpē-zē-əs 

tra-

plural trapezii trə-ˈpē-zē-ˌī 

tra-

also trapeziuses

: a large flat triangular superficial muscle of each side of the upper back

Examples of trapezius in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Deadlifts also strengthen muscles that attach to your shoulders, such as the upper trapezius and latissimus dorsi. —Laura Campedelli, Verywell Health, 13 Aug. 2024

Leg Deadlifts This exercise targets the following muscles: glutes, hamstrings, core, back, and trapezius muscles with a dumbbell weight. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 July 2024

Chest Presses Focus: deltoids, trapezius muscles, and biceps WATCH Vogue World Paris 2024 Sit with your legs crossed, your back straight, and your abs engaged. Raise your arms out to the sides, then bend your elbows with your hands extended and your fingers pointed toward the ceiling. —Marie Bladt, Vogue, 17 June 2024

The film opens not with a mandible but with a trapezius, a flashback in black-and-white of the Von Erich patriarch, Fritz (Holt McCallany), in the midst of a match, grunting and colliding with another body in a spotlighted ring. —Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from trapezium; from the pair on the back forming together the figure of a trapezium

First Known Use

circa 1704, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

trapezius

noun

tra·​pe·​zi·​us trə-ˈpē-zē-əs, tra- 

plural trapezii -zē-ˌī  also trapeziuses

: a large flat triangular superficial muscle of each side of the upper back that arises from the occipital bone, the ligamentum nuchae, and the spinous processes of the last cervical and all the thoracic vertebrae, is inserted into the outer part of the clavicle, the acromion, and the spine of the scapula, and serves chiefly to rotate the scapula so as to present the glenoid cavity upward