Achilles tendon
Americannoun
noun
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In Greek legend, the hero Achilles could be wounded only in the heel.
Etymology
Origin of Achilles tendon
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I was ready to crawl the rest of the way in to finish the stage if I had to, but a torn hamstring or Achilles tendon would end my race.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
He suffered severe leg injuries in a 2021 car crash before undergoing a back operation in September 2024 and suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon last March.
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
Woods missed all of the 2025 season as he recovered from a back surgery the previous year and surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon in March.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026
Damian Lillard, out all season while recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, matched a record by winning his third career NBA Three-Point Contest on Saturday.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
In Holden's "Landmarks" we are told that the operation of dividing the Achilles tendon was first performed by an unfortunate upon himself, by means of a razor.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.