trapezius – a broad flat muscle covering the neck, upper back and shoulders

To remember the meaning of trapezius, use the following mnemonic:

As trapeze artists, it's easy for us (trapezius) to hold our body weight due to our large upper back muscles.

The trapezius is a large, diamond-shape muscle that extends across the upper back, neck and shoulders. It originates from the base of the skull, the cervical vertebrae, and the thoracic vertebrae, and inserts into the shoulder blade (scapula) and collarbone (clavicle). The trapezius has several functions including elevating the shoulders (shrugging), pulling the shoulder blades together, and supporting the head and neck posture.