tendon

[ten-duhn]

noun

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

/ 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

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

tendon

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tendon¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of tendon¹

C16: from Medieval Latin tendō, from Latin tendere to stretch; related to Greek tenōn sinew

Example Sentences

Leeds defender Rio Ferdinand strained a tendon behind his knee while watching television with his leg resting on a coffee table.

Read more on BBC

You are really a collection of parts: organs and bones, tendons and teeth.

Read more on Literature

Fin Smith starts at fly-half in place of George Ford, with Ollie Lawrence returning at outside centre after recovering from Achilles tendon surgery.

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He fired 34 more pitches, with seemingly no regard for the condition of the ligaments in his elbow or the tendons in his shoulder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in a Super Bowl 58 loss to Kansas City and missed most of the 2024 campaign.

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Related Words

• hamstring 
• ligament 
• sinew 
• tissue