quadriceps

quad·ri·ceps

noun \ˈkwäd-rə-ˌseps\

Definition of QUADRICEPS

: a large extensor muscle of the front of the thigh divided above into four parts which include the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, and vastus medialis, and which unite in a single tendon to enclose the patella as a sesamoid bone at the knee and insert as the patellar ligament into the tuberosity of the tibia—called also quadriceps femoris, quadriceps muscle