sinew

[ sin-yoo ]
See synonyms for: sinewsinewedsinewingsinews on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a tendon.

  2. Often sinews. the source of strength, power, or vigor: the sinews of the nation.

  1. strength; power; resilience: a man of great moral sinew.

verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish with sinews; strengthen, as by sinews.

Origin of sinew

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English sinu (nominative), sinuwe (genitive); cognate with Dutch zenuw,German Sehne,Old Norse sin; akin to Sanskrit snāva sinew

Other words from sinew

  • sin·ew·less, adjective
  • un·sin·ewed, adjective
  • un·sin·ew·ing, adjective

Words Nearby sinew

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sinew in a sentence

  • It is the nerve that accompanies the sinew, and Howell Gruffydd now receives and despatches telegrams.

    Mushroom Town | Oliver Onions
  • The diaphragm is peculiar in that it is somewhat circular in shape and is more or less tendinous or sinew-like in the middle.

  • She roused all her energies; strained every sinew, and put forth all her remaining strength.

    Rookwood | William Harrison Ainsworth

British Dictionary definitions for sinew

sinew

/ (ˈsɪnjuː) /


noun
  1. anatomy another name for tendon

  2. (often plural)

    • a source of strength or power

    • a literary word for muscle

Origin of sinew

1
Old English sionu; related to Old Norse sin, Old Saxon sinewa, Old High German senawa sinew, Lettish pasainis string

Derived forms of sinew

  • sinewless, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012