Descensories

/dɪˈsɛnsəriz/ noun

Definition

Plural of descensory; anatomical structures, muscles, or mechanisms that function to pull or move something downward.

Etymology

From descensory (from descend + -ory) with plural -ies. Medical and anatomical terminology identifying functional structures involved in downward motion.

Kelly Says

Anatomists naming muscles as 'descensories' reveals how they thought about the body as a machine—muscles literally do jobs like pulling things down, so names described their function.

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