tendon

American  

[ten-duhn] / ˈtɛn dən /

noun

• tendons
  plural

1. Anatomy. a cord or band of dense, tough, inelastic, white, fibrous tissue, serving to connect a muscle with a bone or part; sinew.

2. a reinforcing strand in prestressed concrete.

---

tendon British  

/ ˈtɛndən /

noun

1. a cord or band of white inelastic collagenous tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone or some other part; sinew

---

tendon Scientific  

/ tĕn′dən /

1. A band of tough, fibrous, inelastic tissue that connects a muscle to a bone. Tendons are made chiefly of collagen.

---

tendon Cultural  

1. A tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscles to bones.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tendons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tendon

1535–45; < Medieval Latin tendōn- (stem of tendō ) < Greek ténōn sinew (spelling with -d- by association with Latin tendere to stretch)

Compare meaning

How does tendon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aponeurosis vs. tendon
• tendon vs. ligament

Explanation

If you feel the back of your ankle, you will find the tough, ropelike tendon that joins your calf muscle to your heel bone. That's the job of tendons throughout your body: connecting bone and muscle so you can move. Consider that the Latin word tendere means "to stretch." That's an apt beginning for the word tendon, a tough but stretchy fibrous tissue (sinew). A tendon is made of dense bundles of fibrous collagen that form ropelike connectors that allow muscles and bones to work together. Athletes often suffer injuries to tendons, most often to the rotator cuff in the shoulder, the Achilles tendon in the leg, the patellar tendon in the knee, and the biceps muscle in the arm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tendon tendons

The wrist braces resemble the kind sold at a drugstore to help with tendon pain, the only difference being each comes equipped with a 7-pound weight at the end.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Hunched over sizzling grills and shrouded in smoke, trainees at the Yueyang Barbecue Academy in southern China roast skewer after skewer of succulent beef tendon, perfecting the skills that could land them a restaurant job.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

After pulling a tendon in his thumb while goalkeeping, he doesn't ask for pain relief.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

In addition to its effects on skin and joint health, collagen supplementation was linked to modest improvements in muscle mass, muscle structure, and tendon structure.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026

Clicking his tongue and shaking his head, he said, “That is a nasty cut but the tendon hasn’t been hurt at all. I hate to see anything crippled like that. It’s pitiful.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

“If you’re training plyometrics, you’re training the explosivity of your tendons, and that’s bulletproofing whatever joint that tendon is attached to — the tendons in your foot or ankle or hip,” Altman says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Lower limb injuries including sprains, bone damage and wear and tear of the tendons are common, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Richards, who missed the 2022 World Cup because of a hamstring injury, tore two tendons in his left ankle a month ago but is healthy enough now to play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

It supports and strengthens skin, nails, bones and connective tissues, including tendons and cartilage.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2026

Nelson drew his knife and knelt to help me with the tedious work of cutting through the tendons and peeling back the pelt.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• hamstring
• ligament
• sinew
• tissue