sinew

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noun sin·ew \ ˈsin-(ˌ)yü also ˈsi-(ˌ)nü \

Definition of sinew

1 :tendon; especially :one dressed for use as a cord or thread

2 obsolete :nerve

3 a :solid resilient strength :power

astonishing intellectual sinew and clarity
—Reynolds Price

b :the chief supporting force :mainstay —usually used in plural

providing the sinews of better living
—Sam Pollock

See sinew defined for English-language learners

See sinew defined for kids

sinew was our Word of the Day on 07/10/2010. Hear the podcast!

Examples of sinew in a Sentence

cutting through bone and sinew
the justices displayed great intellectual depth and sinew in writing their opinion on this case

Recent Examples of sinew from the Web

Trim any fat cap and sinew off beef and slice into strips, each 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "How to Make Beef Jerky," 21 Aug. 2017
At five separate junctures, the sinews of our democracy held against the careening recklessness of this presidency.

— charles krauthammer, National Review, "Once Again, the Guardrails Hold," 3 Aug. 2017
The arms and center skeleton frame are welded steel, the vertebrae are aluminum, and the sinews are stainless-steel cables and electric wire—in red and blue like arteries and veins.

— dan dubno, Popular Mechanics, "How to Make a Interactive Motorized Chandelier," 2 Aug. 2017
When the Virgin Mary appeared to William II in a dream 843 years ago and asked him to build a church, the 20-year-old King of Sicily spared neither expense nor sinew in meeting her request.

— luke leitch, Vogue, "Dolce & Gabbana Present an Alta Sartoria Collection as Extraordinary As Its Cattedrale di Monreale Setting," 9 July 2017
White punk vests with cords that evoked alien-like sinews exposed flesh on waif-like male models with visible bones.

— thomas adamson, The Seattle Times, "Louis Vuitton channels escapism at sweltering Paris menswear," 22 June 2017
With no sets, a narrow playing space along the front of the stage, merely the simplest costumes and some sprinklings of gold glitter, the Philharmonic, Mr. Gilbert and the director Louisa Muller have stripped the work to its sinews.

— zachary woolfe, New York Times, "Review: The Philharmonic Makes Wagner’s Gods Chillingly Human," 2 June 2017
There will be no lunging towards tramlines, or stretching every sinew to serve at speed.

— aimee lewis, CNN, "Can Serena Williams return to the top of tennis after giving birth?," 22 May 2017
Gibson’s works, which take inspiration from his Choctaw and Cherokee heritage as well as modernism and popular culture, incorporate materials such as rawhide, tipi poles, sterling silver, wool blankets, metal cones, beads, fringe and sinew.

— john wenzel, The Know, "Denver Art Museum to host first major exhibition from American Indian artist Jeffrey Gibson," 16 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sinew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Many parts of the body have come to have figurative meanings in English. One can have an eye for interior design, for example, or the stomach for a fight. "Muscle," of course, can mean "strength," and so can "sinew," a word for the tissue that ties muscle to bone - more commonly known as a tendon. (For a while, "sinew" also meant "nerve," but that usage is obsolete.) The use of "sinew" to mean "the chief supporting force" ties into its anatomical function as a stabilizing unit. Sinew derives via Middle English from Old English "seono"; it is also related to Old High German senawa ("sinew") and Sanskrit "syati" ("he binds").