biceps brachii

< /ˈbaɪ sɛp sɪz/, bi·ceps. Anatomy.

1. either of two flexor muscles, one (biceps brachii) located in the front of the upper arm and assisting in bending the arm, and the other (biceps femoris) located on the back of the thigh and assisting in bending the leg.

noun plural -ceps

1. anatomy any muscle having two heads or origins, esp the muscle that flexes the forearmRelated adjective: bicipital

1630s (adj.), from Latin biceps “having two parts,” literally “two-headed,” from bis “double” (see bis-) + -ceps comb. form of caput “head” (see capitulum). As a noun meaning “biceps muscle,” from 1640s, so called for its structure. Despite the -s, it is singular, and classicists insist there is no such word as bicep.

n. pl. biceps

1. A muscle with two heads or points of origin.
2. The biceps brachii.
3. The biceps femoris.

1. Either of two muscles, biceps brachii of the arm or biceps femoris of the leg, each with two points of origin. The biceps of the arm bends the elbow, while the biceps of the leg helps to bend the knee as part of the hamstring.