tendons
|ten-don|
🇺🇸
/ˈtɛn.dən/
🇬🇧
/ˈtɛn.d(ə)n/
(tendon)
muscle-bone connector
Etymology
'tendon' originates from French, specifically the word 'tendon', where that French term ultimately comes from Latin 'tendo, tendinis', and the root 'tend-' meant 'to stretch'.
'tendon' changed from Latin 'tendo, tendinis' into Old/Middle French 'tendon' and was borrowed into English (Middle/Modern English) as 'tendon'.
Initially it referred to something 'stretched' or a 'strip/band'; over time it evolved to the specific anatomical meaning 'a fibrous band connecting muscle to bone'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a strong, flexible band of fibrous connective tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone and transmits the force that produces movement.
Tendons connect muscles to bones and transmit the force that makes joints move.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/25 10:43