Achilles tendon

American  

Or Achilles' tendon

noun

Anatomy.

1. the tendon joining the calf muscles to the heel bone.

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Achilles tendon British  

noun

1. the fibrous cord that connects the muscles of the calf to the heelbone

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Achilles tendon Cultural  

1. A tendon connecting the heel bone with the calf muscle of the leg.

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Discover More

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

Woods has been recovering from rupturing an Achilles tendon in March 2025 and back surgery in October.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Woods, who turned 50 last December, has been working to return from an Achilles tendon rupture last March and back surgery last October.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

He missed all of the PGA season last year as he recovered from a 2024 back surgery and surgery in March 2025 for a ruptured Achilles tendon.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

The star forward, who is rehabilitating from an Achilles tendon tear suffered in the playoffs last June, and has lately been practicing with the team, continues to sit out real action.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

Finally, after making laborious headway to two thousand feet, Kennedy strained his Achilles tendon and I decided to return to "The Grottoes."

From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Mawson, Douglas, Sir