Achilles tendon

American

Or Achilles' tendon

noun

Anatomy.

the tendon joining the calf muscles to the heel bone.

Achilles tendon British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Achilles tendon Cultural

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

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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.

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

From BBC • Mar. 31, 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

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

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

Achilles tendon, the great tendon of the heel, where Achilles was vulnerable.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by Nuttall, P. Austin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023