# What is the jaw muscle called?

The jaw muscle is called the masseter. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a thick, short muscle on the side of the face.

## What it means

- A thick, short muscle on the side of the face.
- One of the strongest muscles in the body by cross-sectional area.
- Raises the mandible to close the jaws (chewing).

## Action steps

1. Between the zygomatic arch above and the angle of the mandible below.
2. Can be felt tightening when the teeth are clenched.
3. Covers most of the ramus of the mandible.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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