tendon

noun

ten·​don ˈten-dən 

: a tough cord or band of dense white fibrous connective tissue that unites a muscle with some other part (such as a bone) and transmits the force which the muscle exerts

Examples of tendon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Stone ridges extend like tendons, knuckles, and fingers from its northern edge southward; these discouraged the construction of east-west roads and make the Bronx difficult to cross from east to west even today. —Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024

Potential Causes of Elbow Joint Pain Elbow joint pain can have various causes, including injury to muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, or bursae. —Brandi Jones, Msn-Ed, Health, 12 July 2024

One specimen preserves both feather impressions and tendons, which rarely fossilize. —Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 7 July 2024

Thompson, now 34 years old, was crucial for the Warriors throughout their title run but started to show decline in recent seasons after multiple injuries including a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin tendōn-, tendō, probably derivative of Latin tendere "to extend outward, stretch" after Greek tenont-, ténōn "sinew, tendon," from ten-, variant stem of teínein "to stretch, extend" + -ont-, -ōn, deverbal noun suffix — more at tender entry 3

First Known Use

1541, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tendon

• Achilles tendon
• tendon of Achilles

Kids Definition

tendon

noun

ten·​don ˈten-dən 

: a tough cord or band of dense white connective tissue that links a muscle to some other part (as a bone)

Medical Definition

tendon

noun

ten·​don ˈten-dən 

: a tough cord or band of dense white fibrous connective tissue that unites a muscle with some other part, transmits the force which the muscle exerts, and is continuous with the connective-tissue epimysium and perimysium of the muscle and when inserted into a bone with the periosteum of the bone