What are the lats called?
The lats is called the latissimus dorsi. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a broad, flat, triangular muscle of the back.
What it is
- A broad, flat, triangular muscle of the back.
- Its name is Latin for 'broadest of the back'.
- Pulls the arm downward and backward and rotates it inward.
Where it is
- Covers the lower half of the back and wraps around the lower ribs.
- Arises from the lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and iliac crest.
- Inserts into the front of the humerus.
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Last verified: 2026-07-18
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