flexed

Flexed is the past tense and past participle of the verb to flex. It primarily denotes bending, tightening, or contracting something, such as a muscle or body part, but can also describe a bent or curved form in objects or structures.

In physiology, flexion is the action of bending a joint to decrease its angle. A flexed limb, such as a flexed elbow, is positioned with the joints bent rather than extended. The term is commonly used in clinical descriptions of posture, movement, and muscle activity. The adjective form describes a position or state resulting from such bending or contraction.

In engineering and materials science, flexed describes a component that is bent or curved. A flexed beam or flexed cable has a curved geometry under load. The related noun is flexure, and the study of bending stresses is called flexure analysis.

In archaeology, a flexed burial refers to remains buried in a flexed or curled posture, as opposed to being laid out extended. In contemporary slang, “to flex” means to display strength, wealth, or power; “flexed” can describe such an act in the past tense (for example, “he flexed to show off”).

Origin: The verb flex derives from the sense of bending and ultimately from the Latin root flectere, with the modern form developed in English through Old French and Middle English.