noun

tendon

TEHN-duhn

noun

A tough band of tissue that connects a muscle to a bone.

"He tore a tendon in his ankle during the match."

How to Use Tendon

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe strong, rope-like tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone.

Common mistake

Don't mix up with a ligament, which connects bone to bone, not muscle to bone.

Easily confused with

ligament →

Common pairings

torn tendon Achilles tendon tendon injury

tendons plural

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He tore a _____ in his ankle during the match.

From Medieval Latin tendo, from Ancient Greek tenon ("sinew"), later reshaped in spelling to resemble Latin tendere ("to stretch").

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