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sinew

Anatomy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Sinew is a tough band of connective tissue, usually a tendon, that joins muscle to bone; in poetry, it often symbolizes physical strength, endurance, or binding force.

Detailed Definition
Anatomically, sinews transmit the pull of muscles to bones, allowing the body to move. Poets use the word both literally, to evoke the body’s strength or vulnerability, and figuratively, to describe the force, structure, or resilience of a person, community, or idea. Because “sinew” is more literary and forceful in tone than “tendon,” it is especially common in elevated descriptions of labor, struggle, and vitality.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The old sailor’s sinews tightened against the rope, / holding fast through wind and salt-dark rain.” Here, “sinews” refers literally to the sailor’s tendons and muscles while emphasizing his endurance and strength.
Additional Notes
In modern Anatomy, “tendon” is the more precise term; “sinew” is an older, more poetic word for a tendon or strong fibrous tissue. Sinew can also appear in the phrase “thews and sinews,” meaning bodily strength and muscular power. Figuratively, writers may call something “the sinew” of an organization or cause to mean its essential strength or support. The word comes from Old English and related Germanic words for tendon or cord. Do not confuse sinew with a muscle: a muscle contracts, while a sinew or tendon connects the muscle to bone.
Also Known As
Tendon Muscle Fibre Bodily Strength Cord of Strength Muscle Nerve thew
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