sinew

[ sin-yoo ]

/ ˈsɪn yu /

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See synonyms for: sinew / sinewed / sinewing / sinews on Thesaurus.com

noun

a tendon.

Often sinews. the source of strength, power, or vigor: the sinews of the nation.

strength; power; resilience: a man of great moral sinew.

verb (used with object)

to furnish with sinews; strengthen, as by sinews.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sinew

before 900; Middle English; Old English sinu (nominative), sinuwe (genitive); cognate with Dutch zenuw,German Sehne,Old Norse sin; akin to Sanskrit snāva sinew

OTHER WORDS FROM sinew

sin·ew·less, adjectiveun·sin·ewed, adjectiveun·sin·ew·ing, adjective

Words nearby sinew

sine curve, sine die, Sinemet, sine prole, sine qua non, sinew, sine wave, sinewy, Sinfjotli, sinfonia, sinfonietta

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sinew in a sentence

Its frame is still thick with sinew, and there’s some kind of membrane around its chest cavity, which lights up.
Huge skeletons are just part of how we live now|Maura Judkis|October 25, 2021|Washington Post
But I personally started to feel disrespected, that that caused me—because of my heart, my sinew—to overreact.
Rick Sanchez Licks His Wounds|Adam Hanft|January 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The butcher sawed excruciatingly slowly through bone and sinew.
From Bullets to Ballet|Sebastian Rich|October 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST
For I knew that thou art stubborn, and thy neck is as an iron sinew, and thy forehead as brass.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

These arrow-heads have generally a shoulder where the arrow was set into the shaft, there to be bound tightly with sinew or fiber.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
It is the nerve that accompanies the sinew, and Howell Gruffydd now receives and despatches telegrams.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions
The diaphragm is peculiar in that it is somewhat circular in shape and is more or less tendinous or sinew-like in the middle.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking|Wesley Mills
She roused all her energies; strained every sinew, and put forth all her remaining strength.
Rookwood|William Harrison Ainsworth

British Dictionary definitions for sinew

sinew

/ (ˈsɪnjuː) /

noun

anatomy another name for tendon

(often plural)

a source of strength or power
a literary word for muscle

Derived forms of sinew

sinewless, adjective

Word Origin for sinew

Old English sionu; related to Old Norse sin, Old Saxon sinewa, Old High German senawa sinew, Lettish pasainis 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

sinew

Origin of sinew

OTHER WORDS FROM sinew

Words nearby sinew

Words related to sinew

How to use sinew in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sinew

Derived forms of sinew

Word Origin for sinew