latissimus dorsi

[ luh-tis-uh-muh s dawr-sahy ]
/ ləˈtɪs ə məs ˈdɔr saɪ /

noun, plural la·tis·si·mi dor·si [luh-tis-uh-mahy dawr-sahy] /ləˈtɪs əˌmaɪ ˈdɔr saɪ/. Anatomy.

a broad, flat muscle on each side of the midback, the action of which draws the arm backward and downward and rotates the front of the arm toward the body.

Origin of latissimus dorsi

< New Latin: literally, the broadest (muscle) of the back

Words nearby latissimus dorsi

Medical definitions for latissimus dorsi

latissimus dorsi
[ lă-tĭsə-məs dôrsī ]

n.

A muscle with origin from the spinous processes of the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the median ridge of the sacrum, and the outer lip of the iliac crest, with insertion into the humerus, with nerve supply from the thoracodorsal nerve, and whose action adducts the arm, rotates it medially, and extends it.