trapezius
nounUK /trəˈpiː.zi.əs/
US /trəˈpiː.zi.əs/
A big muscle in your back and neck that helps you move your shoulders and head.
She felt her trapezius tighten after sitting at the computer all day.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. Either of the two large triangular muscles that extend over the back of the neck and shoulders in humans.
The trapezius connects the skull to the shoulder blades and spine.
3. A muscle in animals that corresponds to the human trapezius and helps move the forelimb or shoulder.
In horses, the trapezius helps stabilize the shoulder during movement.
4. A four-sided geometric figure with one pair of parallel sides, often called a trapezoid in American English.
The trapezius shape of the field had two parallel sides.