sinew

C2 Topic:The Human Body

US /ˈsɪny/ UK /ˈsɪnjuː/ See IPA manual

Freq #56999

Meanings

1

noun
a tough cord or tendon connecting muscle to bone

The hunter used dried animal sinew to bind the pieces of the tool together.
2

noun
a source of strength, power, or effective support, especially when used in the plural

Skilled workers were the sinews of the growing industry.
3

noun
a strong cord or string, especially one made from animal tendon

The bow was strung with a tightly twisted sinew.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a tough cord or tendon... tendon

2 noun · a source of strength,... strength support muscle

3 noun · a strong cord or string,... cord string

Opposites

weakness

Word family

Forms sinewssinewy

Derived forms sinewedsinewlesssinewy

Related forms muscle nerve tendon

Etymology

From Middle English sinewe and Old English sinu, 'tendon or sinew,' from a Proto-Germanic word of the same meaning. It is related to words for tendon and nerve across Germanic languages and may ultimately derive from an Indo-European root associated with twisting or spinning threads.

Topics

The Human Body

External links

# sinew

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪny/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪnjuː/
**Frequency rank:** 56999

## Meanings
1. a tough cord or tendon connecting muscle to bone
2. a source of strength, power, or effective support, especially when used in the plural
3. a strong cord or string, especially one made from animal tendon

## Examples
- The hunter used dried animal sinew to bind the pieces of the tool together.
- Skilled workers were the sinews of the growing industry.
- The bow was strung with a tightly twisted sinew.

## Synonyms
- tendon
- strength
- support
- cord

## Antonyms
- weakness

## Derived Forms
- sinewed
- sinewless
- sinewy

## Related Forms
- muscle
- nerve
- tendon

## Etymology
From Middle English sinewe and Old English sinu, 'tendon or sinew,' from a Proto-Germanic word of the same meaning. It is related to words for tendon and nerve across Germanic languages and may ultimately derive from an Indo-European root associated with twisting or spinning threads.

## Topics
- The Human Body

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