tenderloin

noun ten·der·loin \ ˈten-dər-ˌlȯin \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of tenderloin

1 : a strip of tender meat consisting of a large internal muscle of the loin on each side of the vertebral column

[from its making possible a luxurious diet for a corrupt police officer]

: a district of a city largely devoted to vice

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Recent Examples of tenderloin from the Web

Other healthy animal proteins include skinless poultry, fish, and pork tenderloin.

— madelyn fernstrom, NBC News, "Health Matters: Is a "detox diet" good or bad for your health?," 13 July 2018
The key to evenly cooked, juicy cutlets is using pieces that are thinner than the boneless, skinless chicken breast halves straight out of the package (which often have tenderloins attached, the source of chicken tenders).

— becky krystal, charlotteobserver, "Breaded chicken cutlets that can go in (or on) just about anything | Charlotte Observer," 1 May 2018
Named after Turkish delight, this is tenderloin in thin slices that are passed over the grill just long enough to mark them.

— pete wells, New York Times, "A Sprinkle, a Snapshot, a Sensation: My Dinner With Salt Bae," 2 Feb. 2018
Baby back ribs These come from high on the back side of the hog and are closest to the tenderloin.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Here's how to buy and choose ribs," 1 July 2018
Paul's Drive-In serves pork tenderloin sandwiches in baskets with fries and onion rings.

— sarah gish, kansascity, "Batter up: Here are 18 KC-area places to get perfect, golden-fried onion rings," 21 June 2018
One notable bar snack is the mini-pork tenderloin sandwiches, sort of a pork cutlet slider with the same great breading.

— larry olmsted, USA TODAY, "Incredible fried chicken in Indianapolis," 17 May 2018
The porterhouse, however, has a larger portion of the tenderloin than the T-bone.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "How to buy the perfect steak for Dad this Father's Day," 15 June 2018
To minimize splatter, remove the skillet from heat when adding more oil between additional pieces of tenderloin.

— aliza abarbanel, Bon Appetit, "A Spicy Pork Tenderloin Bowl That's So Easy You Hardly Need This Recipe," 30 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

A tenderloin, of course, is a juicy and tasty cut of meat. In the late 19th century, however, Tenderloin saw use as a nickname for the neighborhood of midtown Manhattan, west of Broadway and below 42nd Street. This district, which contained numerous bordellos, gambling houses, and watering holes, alongside theaters and hotels, became a hotbed of corruption - and, it was alleged by some, blackmail by police. The notion of dishonest law enforcers being able to afford a nice meal off activity in this district is believed to have given the Tenderloin its name. Soon the term was applied to similarly seedy districts in other cities.