Definition of "longissimus" [longissimus]

• A muscle of the back, more fully called longissimus dorsi, notable in man for its great length, forming with the sacrolumbalis the erector spinæ, the muscle which assists in keeping the back straight or erect. It occurs under divers modifications in mammals, birds, etc. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "In the previous post we looked briefly at phorusrhacid diversity, stopping on the way to look at the discovery and naming of that ‘well known’ species Phorusrhacos longissimus from the Miocene of Argentina."
• "The ‘best known’ phorusrhacid, the one featured in every single prehistoric animal book, is Phorusrhacos longissimus from the Miocene of Argentina."
• "It is the longissimus dorsi muscle — the vaunted backstrap — that aids the deer in its soaring bounds, its ­nitrogen - ​ powered, zero-to-see-ya-later speeds, and its incomparable edibility."