cremaster

cre·mas·ter (kr-mstr, kr-)

n.

A muscle with origin from the internal oblique and inguinal ligament, enveloping the spermatic cord and the testis and supplied by the genitofemoral nerve, and whose action raises the testicle.

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cremas·teric (krm-strk) adj.

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cremaster

[krimas′tər]

Etymology: Gk, kremastos, hanging

a thin muscular layer that spreads out over the spermatic cord in a series of loops. It is a continuation of the obliquus internus. The muscle arises from the inguinal ligament and inserts into the crest of the pubis and into the sheath of the rectus abdominis. It is innervated by the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve and functions to draw the testis up toward the superficial inguinal ring in response to cold or to stimulation of the nerve.