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Arm

Anatomy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The upper limb extending from shoulder to wrist. In poetry, it often signifies reach, labor, protection, or embrace.

Detailed Definition
An arm gives poetry a visible instrument of action: it lifts, carries, strikes, points, and gathers. A poet may use an outstretched arm to suggest longing or appeal, folded arms to imply refusal, and linked arms to show solidarity. Because arms both act upon the world and hold other bodies close, they can balance images of power with tenderness, making them useful in scenes of work, war, caregiving, dance, and reunion.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "thy eternal summer shall not fade" imagines the beloved held in the poem's enduring embrace, a figurative arm; "Her arm was a white branch over the dark water" uses arm imagery to make a gesture seem natural and luminous; A speaker may write, "I carried the winter in my arms," using arms to convey burden and protection; "His raised arm divided the crowd like a mast" turns an arm into a strong visual line in the scene
Additional Notes
Often paired with hand or shoulder to show action, labor, shelter, or an embrace reaching toward another person.
Also Known As
Limb Upper Limb Forelimb Inlet
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