digastric
/dʌɪˈɡastrɪk
/(also digastric muscle)
noun Anatomy
Each of a pair of muscles which run under the jaw and act to open it.Training caused an increase in the activity of citrate synthase and superoxide dismutase in the digastric muscle, the sternohyoid muscle, and the costal diaphragm....
- Accessory slips may join the muscle from the digastric, from the stylomandibular ligament, or the angle of the mandible.
- The submandibular glands are located within a triangle bounded by the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the posterior belly of the digastric muscle, and the body of the mandible.
Origin
Late 17th century: from modern Latin digastricus, from di- 'twice' + Greek gastēr 'belly' (because the muscle has two fleshy parts or ‘bellies’ at an angle, connected by a tendon).