Ch 12 · Lesson 14Latin · Chapter 12 · Lesson 14 · Grammar primer
Biceps brachii: anatomy and prescription Latin
Muscle names are a describing word plus a genitive: the two-headed one of the arm. Then , in die and on a prescription.
The short version
Muscle names run on the genitive
dorsi
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Many muscle names are a word describing the muscle plus the genitive of the body part: biceps brachii, the two-headed (muscle) of the arm; dorsi, the broadest of the back. A plural part takes the genitive plural: flexor , the bender of the fingers.
Anatomy: the genitive at the gym
Many muscle names are a word describing the muscle plus the genitive of the body part it belongs to: the two-headed one of the arm.
- brachium
Caput, the head; os, the mouth (per os, by mouth); manus, the hand; brachium, the arm (biceps brachii, the two-headed muscle of the arm); pes, the foot.
| Muscle | Literally |
|---|---|
biceps brachii | two-headed, of the arm |
triceps surae | three-headed, of the calf |
dorsi | broadest, of the back |
erector spinae | the raiser of the spine |
levator scapulae | the lifter of the shoulder blade |
flexor | the bender of the fingers |
quadratus lumborum | square, of the loins |
and lumborum are genitive plurals: more than one finger, more than one loin. Biceps is bi- plus , two-headed; its plural is bicipites.
Where there is no genitive, there is agreement, feminine on feminine and neuter on neuter:
vena cava- the hollow vein.medulla oblongata- the elongated marrow.
Prescription Latin
Medical shorthand is one of the few places Latin is still written daily, mostly by people who do not know they are writing it:
| Abbrev. | Latin | Means |
|---|---|---|
| p.o. | | by mouth |
| NPO | | nothing by mouth |
| b.i.d. | | twice a day |
| t.i.d. | ter | three times a day |
| q.i.d. | quater | four times a day |
| p.r.n. | | as needed |
| immediately | |
| Rx | | take! |
is per with the accusative of , mouth, which looks the same as the nominative. is in with the ablative: in a day.
is literally for the matter having arisen. is an imperative, an order to the pharmacist.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quercus | Quercus | tree names in -us are feminine |
| Sapiens | | the epithet is always lower case |
| T- | T. | is lower case; T. is the |
| a bicep | a biceps | biceps is one two-headed muscle |
| one | one species | species is singular and plural |
| genuses | the Latin plural of |
Going further: Why Latin: 1753 and 1758 and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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