View source for Buttocks

{{Short description|Anatomical feature on the posterior of some primates}}
{{Hatnote group|{{About|the cultural description of buttocks|the anatomical description of the hip|Hip}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Buttocks
| Latin       = clunis
| Greek       = 
| Image       = Human buttocks.jpg
| Caption     = Buttocks of a human female (upper) and a human male (lower)
| Image2      = 
| Caption2    = 
| Precursor   = 
| System      = 
| Artery      = [[Superior gluteal artery]], [[inferior gluteal artery]]
| Vein        = 
| Nerve       = [[Superior gluteal nerve]], [[inferior gluteal nerve]], [[superior cluneal nerves]], [[medial cluneal nerves]], [[inferior cluneal nerves]]
| Lymph       = 
}}

The '''buttocks''' ({{singular}}: '''buttock''') are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most [[mammals]], located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the [[perineum]]. They are composed of a layer of exterior skin and underlying [[subcutaneous tissue|subcutaneous]] fat superimposed on a left and right [[gluteus maximus muscle|gluteus maximus]] and [[gluteus medius muscle]]s. The two gluteus maximus muscles are the largest muscles in the human body. They are responsible for movements such as straightening the body into the upright (standing) posture when it is bent at the waist; maintaining the body in the upright posture by keeping the hip joints extended; and propelling the body forward via further leg (hip) extension when walking or running.<ref>Norman Eizenberg et al., ''General Anatomy: Principles and Applications'' (2008), p. 17.</ref> 

In many cultures, the buttocks play a role in [[sexual attraction]].<ref>{{cite book | title = The rear view: A brief and elegant history of bottoms through the ages | first = Jean-Luc | last = Hennig | year = 1995 | publisher = Souvenir | location = London | isbn = 0-285-63303-1}}</ref> Many cultures have also used the buttocks as a primary target for [[corporal punishment]],<ref name="times18940322">{{cite news |url= https://www.corpun.com/uks89403.htm |title= Police. |newspaper= The Times |location= London |date=22 March 1894 |quote= Mr. Curtis Bennett deprecated caning on the hands and boxing the ears, and said they were exceedingly dangerous forms of punishment. Nature provided a special place for boys to be punished upon and it should be used. |access-date=5 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140701190927/http://www.corpun.com/uks89403.htm |archive-date= 1 July 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> as the buttocks' layer of subcutaneous fat offers protection against injury while still allowing for the infliction of pain.

== Structure ==
The buttocks are formed by the masses of the gluteal muscles or "glutes" (the [[gluteus maximus muscle]] and the [[gluteus medius muscle]]) superimposed by a layer of [[adipose tissue|fat]]. The superior aspect of the buttock ends at the [[iliac crest]], and the lower aspect is outlined by the [[horizontal gluteal crease]]. The gluteus maximus has two insertion points: {{Frac|1|3}} superior portion of the [[linea aspera]] of the [[femur]], and the superior portion of the iliotibial tractus. The masses of the gluteus maximus muscle are separated by an intermediate [[intergluteal cleft]] or "crack" in which the [[Human anus|anus]] is situated.

The buttocks allow primates to sit upright without resting their weight on their feet as [[quadruped|four-legged animals]] do. Females of certain species of [[baboon]] have red buttocks that blush to attract males. In the case of humans, females tend to have proportionally wider and thicker buttocks due to higher [[subcutaneous fat]] and proportionally wider [[hip]]s. In humans they also have a role in propelling the body in a forward motion and aiding bowel movement.<ref>Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine, Page 586, Anthony G. Chila – 2010</ref><ref>Recent Advances in Pediatrics, 2013 Suraj Gupte, p 141</ref>

Some baboons and all [[gibbon]]s, though otherwise [[fur]]-covered, have characteristic naked [[Callosity|callosities]] on their buttocks. While human children generally have smooth buttocks, mature males and females have varying degrees of hair growth, as on other parts of their body. Females may have hair growth in the gluteal cleft (including around the anus), sometimes extending laterally onto the lower aspect of the cheeks. Males may have hair growth over some or all of the buttocks.

==Names ==
{{hatnote|See [[Wiktionary:WikiSaurus:buttocks|WikiSaurus:buttocks]] for a list of synonyms and slang words for buttocks in many languages.  For unrelated homophones of butt(ocks), see also [[butt (disambiguation)]] and [[bud (disambiguation)]].}}

The [[Latin]] name for the buttocks is {{Lang|la|nates}} (English pronunciation {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|eɪ|t|iː|z}} {{respell|NAY|teez}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Nates Definitions & Meanings {{!}} Dictionary.com |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nates |access-date=10 June 2022 |website=www.dictionary.com}}</ref> classical pronunciation ''nătes'' {{IPA|la|ˈnateːs|}}<ref>A New Dictionary of the Latin and English Languages, published Ward, Lock & Co., London, 1908</ref>) which is plural; the singular, {{Lang|la|natis}} (buttock), is rarely used. There are many colloquial terms for them.

==See also==
* [[Bollocks]]
* [[Buttock augmentation]]
* [[Buttock cleavage]]
* [[Butts: A Backstory]]
* [[Cultural history of the buttocks]]
* [[Cellulite]]
* [[Coccyx]]
* [[Dimples of Venus]]
* [[Hip and buttock padding]]
* [[Intimate part]]
* [[Mooning]]
* [[Waist–hip ratio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wiktionary|buttocks}}
* [https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/8b-the-muscles-and-fasci-of-the-thigh/ "The Muscles and Fasciæ of the Thigh"] (by Henry Gray) at [https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/anatomy-of-the-human-body/ "Anatomy of the Human Body"], 1918.

{{Human regional anatomy}}
{{Muscles of lower limb}}
{{Superficial anatomy of limbs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Buttocks| ]]
[[Category:Human surface anatomy]]
[[Category:Lower limb anatomy]]
[[Category:Human sexuality]]