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''tendon'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260305143651-00-⌔

tendon - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

tendon (plural tendons)

  • (anatomy) A tough band of flexible but inelastic fibrous collagen tissue that connects a muscle with its bony attachment and transmits the force which the muscle exerts.
    • ✤ Synonym: sinew
    • ✤ I hear a wrenching sound of tendons stretching and testing their anchors on the bone.1
  • (biology) The hamstring of a quadruped.
  • (construction) A wire or bar used to strengthen prestressed concrete.

Etymology

Borrowed from French tendon or Medieval Latin tendō, from Ancient Greek τένων (ténōn, “sinew, tendon”), modified by association with the verb tendō (“to stretch”). Compare Middle English thenoun.

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɛn.dən/
  • Audio (US): 🔊

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

  1. 2016, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, Vintage, page 78: ↩

Link to original

Secondary

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