Standing upright. Riding a horse. Holding a glass, or a pen, or a paintbrush. Hitchhiking. Crossing your fingers. Spreading your toes apart so you can wiggle them in the sand. These are all activities that result from the actions of muscles known as abductors and adductors. Muscles that are abductors move body parts away from each other or from the trunk of the body itself. For example, an abductor muscle moves your thumb away from your index finger, allowing the popular “thumbs up” salute or the widely recognized sign for “thumbing” a ride. Abductor comes from Latin abducere, which is built of the prefix ab-, “away,” and the verb ducere, “to bring.” Adductor muscles, in contrast, bring body parts together or bring them closer to the body. It is a group of adductor muscles in the inner thigh, for example, that allows a rider to sit firmly astride a horse. Once the rider has dismounted, the same group of adductors works in concert with other thigh muscles to enable him or her to stand upright. Adductor comes from Latin adducere, which combines ad-, “to,” and the verb ducere.
