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

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

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Although the regenerated tissues were not exact matches to the original anatomy, the researchers successfully restored all of the major structures that had been removed during amputation, including bone, tendon, ligament, and joint tissue.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2026

The fans’ positivity offset the emotionally tough road back from left elbow surgery to fix a tear in Hernández’s tendon.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

When O’Malley repaired Durant’s tendon back in 2019, Durant had the benefit of a long road back to recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

Every muscle, tendon, and ligament in their bodies was burning with pain, but they were rowing beyond pain, rowing in perfect, flawless harmony.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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

Specifically, more crosslinks formed within the collagen fibers that provide tendons with their strength and structure.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 12, 2026

Like the Shadow Robot hand, Lepora works on hands with "tendons" that move the fingers.

From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026

I run my fingers along the tendons in his hand and look back at him.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• hamstring
• ligament
• sinew
• tissue