Where does “muscle car” come from?

muscle car (English) comes from English muscle, from Middle English muscle, from Old English muscle, from Proto-Germanic *muskulā, from Latin muscula, from Latin mūsculus, from Ancient Greek μῦς, from Proto-Hellenic *mū́s — mouse.

muscle car (English): Any of a variety of automobiles, especially...

Definitions

  1. Any of a variety of automobiles, especially...

Ancestry of “muscle car”, step by step

muscle car traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English muscle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmuscleA contractile form of tissue which animals use to...
2Middle Englishmusclemussel bivalve
3Old Englishmusclemussel
4Proto-Germanic*muskulā
5LatinmusculaDiminutive of musca
6Latinmūsculusa small mouse
7Ancient Greekμῦςmouse; A type of mussel; A type of whale
8Proto-Hellenic*mū́s
9Proto-Indo-IranianmúHsmouse
10Proto-Indo-Europeanmúh₂smouse

via English car

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcarA wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with...
2Middle Englishcarrecart, wagon
3Anglo-Normancarrecart
4Latincarra
5Latincarrusa wagon, a four-wheeled baggage cart; a cartload,...
6Gaulishkarroswagon
7Proto-Celtickarroswagon
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱr̥sósvehicle
9Proto-Indo-Europeanḱers-to run
Every word from Proto-Indo-European múh₂sEvery word from Proto-Indo-Iranian múHsEvery word from Proto-Hellenic *mū́s