The arm is the upper limb of the human being.
The arm is the body extremity that goes from the shoulder to the hand . In some cases, the notion specifically refers to the sector that extends between the shoulder and the elbow .
If we review the etymological evolution of the concept , we will notice that the journey begins in the Greek term brachíōn and led to the Latin word brachĭum before reaching our language .
For example: "Today I had to carry several heavy bags and now my arms hurt," "When the man grabbed her arm, the girl started screaming," "The referee should have awarded a penalty because the ball hit her arm." right of the American defender .
Arm structure
If we focus on the arm as said segment of the upper limb, we can say that it is formed by the humerus bone (articulated with the ulna, radius and scapula) and by muscles such as the pectoralis minor , the pectoralis major , the trapezius , the deltoid , biceps brachii and triceps brachii , among others.
Specifically, we have to state that the skeleton of the arm is made up of three clearly differentiated parts:
- The arm itself, where the humerus bone is located as well as muscles such as the triceps and biceps.
- The forearm . It joins the previous one through the elbow. It is made up of two bones: the ulna and the radius.
- The hand , which is made up of four different parts: the carpus, the metacarpus, the palm of the hand and the phalanges.
Different injuries can affect the arm.
Injuries and illnesses
There are numerous injuries and diseases that can affect the arm. Among the most common are the following:
- Tendonitis , which occurs when inflammation of the tendon occurs. It usually affects, above all, the wrist and is common among certain athletes. Thus, for example, we speak of "tennis elbow" .
- Fracture . This trauma that affects the arm is also very common and involves a break in one of its bones. A fall, an accident or a sports injury are some of the causes that can lead to it.
Other uses of the term arm
The supports that armchairs have, the branches of trees and the candlesticks that hold the lights of a chandelier are also known as arms: "Juana tipped a glass of juice over the arm of the chair," "An arm of the tree broke off and fell on a car" , "This spider has twenty arms" .
In a symbolic sense, we speak of an arm to refer to different types of branches or divisions : "The boat sank in one of the branches of the Paraná River" , "In those years, the Communist Party had an armed wing" , "The The judicial branch is the state power that generates the most distrust in the population .
A popular expression
One of the most popular expressions that exist in Spanish uses the term that concerns us now. We are referring to "giving in." Apparently this has its origin in the arm wrestling game and means that someone gives in.
An example of use is the following: "After the advantages of the merger were explained to her, the owner of the company gave in and accepted the agreement."