sinew

Meaning

Noun

1. A cord or tendon of the body.
2. A cord or string, particularly (music) as of a musical instrument.
3. (figuratively) Muscular power, muscle; nerve, nervous energy; vigor, vigorous strength.
4. (figuratively, in-plural, often) That which gives strength or in which strength consists; a supporting factor or member; mainstay.
5. (obsolete) A nerve.

Verb

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

Synonyms

tendon

muscle

💪

vein

nerve

strength

string

🪢

force

muscularity

power

brawniness

ligament

artery

cord

brawn

heftiness

stripe

thew

thread

🧵

track

vehemence

tie together

violence

arteria

chorda

cartilage

energy

footstep

forcefulness

grain

gristle

leader

line

mainstay

neuron

potency

racquet

root

strengthen

Translations

tendon

tendine

Sehne

nerf

tendón

tendó

tendão

pees

τένοντας

zeen

nervio

وتر

🪢

muscle

💪

nervo

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsɪnjuː/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: synwe

Inherited from Old English: sinu

Cognate with Scots: senon

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Siene

Cognate with Western Frisian: senuw

Cognate with Dutch: zenuw

Cognate with German: Sehne

Cognate with Icelandic: sin

Cognate with Swedish: sena

Cognate with Avestan: 𐬯𐬥𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭

Cognate with Ancient Greek: νεῦρον

Cognate with Latin: nervus

Cognate with Sanskrit: स्नावन्

Cognate with Tokharian B: ṣñor

In summary

From Middle English synwe, synewe (“tendon; ligament or other connective tissue; muscle; nerve; leaf vein”), from Old English sinu (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), from Proto-West Germanic *sinu, from Proto-Germanic *sinwō, *senawō (“sinew”), from Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥ (“sinew, tendon”), from *(s)neh₁- (“to twist (threads), spin, weave”).
The word is cognate with sinnow (“sinew”), Scots senon, sinnon, Saterland Frisian Siene (“sinew”), West Frisian senuw, sine (“sinew; nerve”), Dutch zenuw (“nerve, sinew”), German Sehne (“tendon, sinew; cord”), Icelandic sin (“tendon”), Swedish sena (“sinew”), Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭 (snāuuar, “tendon, sinew”), Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “tendon; nerve; cord”), Latin nervus (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), Sanskrit स्नावन् (snāván, “sinew, tendon; muscle”), Tocharian B ṣñor (“sinew”). Doublet of nerve and neuron.