smooth muscle

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

smooth′ mus′cle, [Anat.]

1. Anatomy involuntary muscle tissue in the walls of viscera and blood vessels, consisting of nonstriated, spindle-shaped cells.

• 1885–90

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

smooth muscle noun

1. muscle that is capable of slow rhythmic involuntary contractions: occurs in the walls of the blood vessels, alimentary canal, etc
   Compare striped muscle

Etymology: so called because there is no cross-banding on the muscle