Bicep
/ˈbaɪ.sɛp/noun
A major muscle of the upper arm with two heads, or informally one of the paired upper arm muscles.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *biceps*, a compound used in anatomy for anything with two heads, and the same root shows up in *bicycle* through the prefix *bi-* meaning “two.”
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
biceps
“two-headed; having two parts or heads”
Late Latin
Latin
biceps (musculus)
“the two-headed upper arm muscle”
16th Century
English
biceps
“a two-headed muscle, especially in the arm”
Modern English
English
bicep
“informal clipped form of biceps”