What does glute mean?
Glute is an informal noun meaning a buttock or one of the muscles of the buttocks. It is especially common in North American English and appears frequently in fitness, anatomy, sports, and everyday conversation. The word is often used collectively, as in “the glutes,” to mean the buttock muscles or buttocks, while the singular can refer to one buttock or a particular muscle in the gluteal group. Because it is shorter and more conversational than gluteus, the formal anatomical term, glute is especially suited to practical and popular descriptions of exercise and bodily movement. It is not necessarily vulgar, but it can sound more blunt than buttock or posterior in formal writing. Although glute has an everyday sound, its history is tied directly to anatomy: it developed as a shortened form of gluteus, a Latin term based on a Greek word for the buttocks. The result is a familiar word that neatly connects classical anatomical terminology with modern fitness and colloquial usage.
nounAn informal term for a buttock or the muscles of the buttocks. It is often used in anatomy, fitness, and informal contexts.
- Informal term for a buttock or the muscles of the buttocks, especially in anatomical and fitness contexts.
"She felt the strain in her glutes after the climb."
"Her glutes were sore after the marathon."
"The trainer recommended a glute workout for strengthening the hips."
The plural is standard and commonly refers collectively to the buttock muscles or buttocks.
"She strengthened her glutes with squats and lunges."
The everyday word “glute” is simply the clipped version of the anatomical name gluteus—and it is a contraction, not a cushion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does glute come from?
The word entered English in the 19th century as an informal shortening of gluteus, the Latin anatomical term. Latin gluteus derives from Greek gloutos, meaning “buttock,” or a closely related form. The modern adjective gluteal and the anatomical plural glutei continue the same Latin and Greek root, while the shortened noun has become especially common in contemporary fitness and informal usage.
How glute is actually used
Informal and particularly common in North American speech. In anatomy and fitness it may refer to the buttock muscles collectively; in body-focused or informal conversation it can refer to the buttocks themselves. The term is generally neutral, though its use in appearance-related contexts may carry evaluative implications.
Easily confused with glute
Glute is the informal short form, while gluteus is the formal anatomical term for a muscle of the buttocks.