Buttocks - Wikipedia

Anatomical feature on the posterior of some primates This article is about buttocks from an exterior, cultural, and layman's point-of-view. For a more technical treatment of the corresponding musculature, see Gluteus maximus. For the anatomical description of the hip, see Hip. "Hiney" redirects here. For other uses, see Hiney (surname).

Buttocks
Buttocks of a human female (upper) and a human male (lower)
Details
Artery	Superior gluteal artery, inferior gluteal artery
Nerve	Superior gluteal nerve, inferior gluteal nerve, superior cluneal nerves, medial cluneal nerves, inferior cluneal nerves
Identifiers
Latin	clunis
MeSH	D002081
TA98	A01.1.00.033 A01.2.08.002
TA2	157
FMA	76446
Anatomical terminology[edit on Wikidata]

The buttocks (sg.: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of humans, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. The buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a layer of exterior skin and underlying subcutaneous fat superimposed on a left and right gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. The two gluteus maximus muscles are the largest muscles in the human body. They are responsible for movements such as straightening the body into the upright (standing) posture when it is bent at the waist; maintaining the body in the upright posture by keeping the hip joints extended; and propelling the body forward via further leg (hip) extension when walking or running.[1]

In many cultures, the buttocks play a role in sexual attraction.[2] Many cultures have also used the buttocks as a primary target for corporal punishment,[3] as the buttocks' layer of subcutaneous fat offers protection against injury while still allowing for the infliction of pain.

Structure

The buttocks are formed by the masses of the gluteal muscles or "glutes" (the gluteus maximus muscle and the gluteus medius muscle) superimposed by a layer of fat. The superior aspect of the buttock ends at the iliac crest, and the lower aspect is outlined by the horizontal gluteal crease. The gluteus maximus has two insertion points: 1⁄3 superior portion of the linea aspera of the femur, and the superior portion of the iliotibial tractus. The masses of the gluteus maximus muscle are separated by an intermediate intergluteal cleft or "crack" in which the anus is situated.

The analogous anatomical structures known as ischial callosities allow primates to sit upright without resting their weight on their feet as four-legged animals do. The pads enable the monkeys to sleep sitting upright on thin branches, beyond reach of predators, without falling. Humans do not possess ischial callosities due to the gluteal muscles being large enough to provide the same cushioning.[4] Females of certain species of baboon have red callosities that blush to attract males. In the case of humans, females tend to have proportionally wider and thicker buttocks due to higher subcutaneous fat and proportionally wider hips. In humans they also have a role in propelling the body in a forward motion and aiding bowel movement.[5][6]

Some baboons and all gibbons, though otherwise fur-covered, have characteristic naked ischial callosities on their rears. While human children generally have smooth buttocks, mature males and females have varying degrees of hair growth, as on other parts of their body. Females may have hair growth in the gluteal cleft (including around the anus), sometimes extending laterally onto the lower aspect of the cheeks. Males may have hair growth over some or all of the buttocks.

Names

See WikiSaurus:buttocks for a list of synonyms and slang words for buttocks in many languages. For unrelated homophones of butt(ocks), see also butt (disambiguation) and bud (disambiguation).

The Latin name for the buttocks is nates (English pronunciation /ˈneɪtiːz/ NAY-teez,[7] classical pronunciation nătes [ˈnateːs][8]) which is plural; the singular, natis (buttock), is rarely used. There are many colloquial terms for them.

Gallery of art

• Prominent, muscular buttocks are a standard feature of athletic and military artwork from Ancient Greece, as demonstrated by this statue of a boxer. British Museum (c. 460 BC)
• The Motya Charioteer, from Ancient Greece (c. 460–450 BC)
• Jean-Jacques Lequeu (c. 1785)
• Jules Lefebvre (c. 1874)
• Félix Vallotton (c. 1884)
• Georges Seurat's 1884 painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte depicts a woman on the right with a prominent bustle under her dress.

Gallery

• A burlesque stage show with three men in Las Vegas
• Seattle's nudist cyclists with painted buttocks
• A Japanese man in traditional Fundoshi-rokushaku swimwear
• Posterior view of human female and male to show the comparison of their buttocks
• Some female clothing, such as the bikini or panties, show part of the female buttocks (woman on left). Thongs, in particular, leave almost all of the buttocks exposed (woman on right). Photo is of a beach in Holland, 1999.
• Models participate in "got ass?", a competition to judge the woman with best buttocks, at AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, Las Vegas, 2014.

See also

• Bollocks
• Buttock augmentation
• Buttock cleavage
• Butts: A Backstory
• Cultural history of the buttocks
• Cellulite
• Coccyx
• Dimples of Venus
• Hip and buttock padding
• Intimate part
• Mooning
• Waist–hip ratio

References

1. ^ Norman Eizenberg et al., General Anatomy: Principles and Applications (2008), p. 17.
2. ^ Hennig, Jean-Luc (1995). The rear view: A brief and elegant history of bottoms through the ages. London: Souvenir. ISBN 0-285-63303-1.
3. ^ "Police". The Times. London. 22 March 1894. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2010. Mr. Curtis Bennett deprecated caning on the hands and boxing the ears, and said they were exceedingly dangerous forms of punishment. Nature provided a special place for boys to be punished upon and it should be used.
4. ^ Montagu, Ashley (3 October 1966). "The Buttocks and Natural Selection". JAMA. 198 (1): 51. doi:10.1001/jama.1966.03110140101027. ISSN 0098-7484. PMID 5953162.
5. ^ Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine, Page 586, Anthony G. Chila – 2010
6. ^ Recent Advances in Pediatrics, 2013 Suraj Gupte, p 141
7. ^ "Nates Definitions & Meanings | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
8. ^ A New Dictionary of the Latin and English Languages, published Ward, Lock & Co., London, 1908

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buttocks. Look up buttocks in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "The Muscles and Fasciæ of the Thigh" (by Henry Gray) at "Anatomy of the Human Body", 1918.

v t e Human regional anatomy
Body	Skin
Head	Hair Face Forehead Cheek Chin Eyebrow Eye Eyelid Nose Mouth Lip Tongue Tooth Ear Jaw Mandible Occiput Scalp Temple
Neck	Adam's apple Throat Nape
Torso (Trunk)	Abdomen Waist Midriff Navel Vertebral column Back Thorax Breast Nipple Pelvis Genitalia Penis Scrotum Vulva Buttocks Anus
Limbs	Arm Shoulder Axilla Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand Finger Fingernail Thumb Index Middle Ring Little Leg Hip Thigh Knee Calf Foot Ankle Heel Toe Toenail Sole

v t e Muscles of the hip and human leg
Iliac region	Iliopsoas Psoas major/Psoas minor Iliacus
Buttocks	Gluteal muscles Maximus Medius Minimus Tensor fasciae latae Lateral rotator group: Quadratus femoris Inferior gemellus Superior gemellus Internal obturator External obturator Piriformis
Thigh / compartments	Anterior Sartorius Quadriceps Rectus femoris Vastus lateralis Vastus intermedius Tensor vastus intermedius Vastus medialis Articularis genus Posterior Hamstring Biceps femoris Semitendinosus Semimembranosus Medial Pectineus External obturator Gracilis Adductor Longus Brevis Magnus Minimus Fascia Femoral sheath Femoral canal Femoral ring Adductor canal Adductor hiatus Muscular lacuna Fascia lata Iliotibial tract Lateral intermuscular septum of thigh Medial intermuscular septum of thigh Cribriform fascia
Leg/compartments	Anterior Tibialis anterior Extensor hallucis longus Extensor digitorum longus Fibularis (peroneus) tertius Posterior Superficial Triceps surae Gastrocnemius Soleus Accessory soleus Achilles tendon Plantaris Deep tarsal tunnel Flexor hallucis longus Flexor digitorum longus Tibialis posterior Popliteus Lateral Fibularis (peroneus) muscles Longus Brevis Fascia Pes anserinus Intermuscular septa Anterior Posterior Transverse
Foot	Dorsal Extensor hallucis brevis Extensor digitorum brevis Plantar 1st layer Abductor hallucis Flexor digitorum brevis Abductor digiti minimi 2nd layer Quadratus plantae Lumbrical muscle 3rd layer Flexor hallucis brevis Adductor hallucis Flexor digiti minimi brevis 4th layer Dorsal interossei Plantar interossei Fascia Plantar fascia retinacula Peroneal Inferior extensor Superior extensor Flexor

v t e Human surface anatomy and general regions
Head	Marionette lines Nasolabial fold Philtrum Commissure of lips Vermilion border Glabella Brow ridge Nostril Nose
Neck	Triangles: Anterior Muscular Carotid Submandibular Submental Posterior Occipital Subclavian Suboccipital Supraclavicular fossa
Thorax	Triangle of auscultation Clavipectoral triangle Inframammary fold Infraclavicular fossa
Arm	Cubital fossa Anatomical snuffbox
Abdomen/pelvis	regions Epigastrium Hypochondrium Umbilical region Flank Hypogastrium Inguinal region Quadrants Lumbar triangle McBurney's point Desjardins' point Traube's space
Perineal	Anal triangle Urogenital triangle
Leg	Buttocks Gluteal sulcus Intergluteal cleft Femoral triangle Popliteal fossa Lap

Authority control databases
International	GND
National	United States Israel
Other	Terminologia Anatomica 2 Yale LUX