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hamstring

[ ham-string ]
/ ˈhæmˌstrɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hamstring

noun

(in humans and other primates) any of the tendons that bound the ham of the knee.
(in quadrupeds) the great tendon at the back of the hock.

verb (used with object), ham·strung, ham·string·ing.

to disable by cutting the hamstring or hamstrings; cripple.
to render powerless or useless; thwart: Their efforts were hamstrung by stubborn pride.

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Origin of hamstring

First recorded in 1555–65; ham1 + string
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to hamstring

hinder, immobilize, handicap, debilitate, cripple, paralyze, impair, hobble, weaken, maim, mangle, lame

Example sentences from the Web for hamstring

British Dictionary definitions for hamstring

hamstring
/ (ˈhæmˌstrɪŋ) /

noun

anatomy any of the tendons at the back of the kneeRelated adjective: popliteal
the large tendon at the back of the hock in the hind leg of a horse, etc

verb -strings, -stringing or -strung (tr)

to cripple by cutting the hamstring of
to ruin or thwart

Word Origin for hamstring

C16: ham 1 + string
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

Medical definitions for hamstring

hamstring
[ hăm′strĭng′ ]

n.

Any of the tendons at the rear hollow of the human knee.
hamstrings The hamstring muscle.
The large tendon in the back of the hind tarsal joint of the quadruped.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for hamstring

hamstring
[ hăm′strĭng′ ]

A powerful group of muscles at the back of the thigh that arise in the hip and pelvis and insert as strong tendons behind the knee. The hamstring bends the knee and helps to straighten the hip.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.