SINEW

brawn, brawniness, muscle, muscularity, sinew, heftiness

(noun) possessing muscular strength

tendon, sinew

(noun) a cord or band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

sinew (plural sinews)

(anatomy) A cord or tendon of the body.

A cord or string, particularly (music) as of a musical instrument.

(figuratively) Muscular power, muscle; nerve, nervous energy; vigor, vigorous strength.

(figuratively, often, in the plural) That which gives strength or in which strength consists; a supporting factor or member; mainstay.

(anatomy, obsolete) A nerve.

Coordinate terms

• (cord or string): twine

Verb

sinew (third-person singular simple present sinews, present participle sinewing, simple past and past participle sinewed)

(transitive) To knit together or make strong with, or as if with, sinews.

Anagrams

• Wenis, Wiens, Wines, sewin, swein, swine, we'ins, wenis, wines, wisen

Source: Wiktionary


Sin"ew, n. Etym: [OE. sinewe, senewe, AS. sinu, seonu; akin to D. zenuw, OHG. senawa, G. sehne, Icel. sin, Sw. sena, Dan. sene; cf. Skr. snava. sq. root290.]

1. (Anat.)

Definition: A tendon or tendonous tissue. See Tendon.

2. Muscle; nerve. [R.] Sir J. Davies.

3. Fig.: That which supplies strength or power. The portion and sinew of her fortune, her marriage dowry. Shak. The bodies of men, munition, and money, may justly be called the sinews of war. Sir W. Raleigh.

Note: Money alone is often called the sinews of war.

Sin"ew, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sinewed; p. pr. & vb. n. Sinewing.]

Definition: To knit together, or make strong with, or as with, sinews. Shak. Wretches, now stuck up for long tortures . . . might, if properly treated, serve to sinew the state in time of danger. Goldsmith.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”


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Coffee Trivia

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. Each year Brazil exports more than 44 million bags of coffee. Vietnam follows at exporting over 27 million bags each year.

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