sinew means A cord or tendon of the body. It carries an Arena rating of 1634, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, sinew ranks #448 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #917 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #1,079 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,136 of 17,113 for Most Elegant Words.
sinew is pronounced /ˈsɪnjuː/.
Why “sinew” is a great word
A cord of dense, fibrous tissue connecting a muscle to a bone, or, by extension, the underlying source of strength and resilience. From Middle English synwe, synewe, from Old English sinu, from Proto-West Germanic *sinu, from Proto-Germanic *sinwō, from Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥ ('sinew, tendon'), from the root *(s)neh₁- ('to twist, spin'). Unlike 'ligament,' which binds bone to bone in static union, or 'muscle,' the contractile flesh, sinew is the taut, transmitted force between them. It is the cable standing out on a laborer's neck, the silvered gristle in a roasted joint, the fibrous strands that bind a society—the quiet, tensile architecture of effort, without which power is merely a shapeless intention.
Etymology
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”), Danish sene (“tendon, sinew”), Swedish sena (“sinew”), Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭 (snāuuar, “tendon, sinew”), Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “tendon; nerve; cord”), Latin nervus (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), Sanskrit स्नावन् (snāvá
noun
- A cord or tendon of the body.
- A cord or string, particularly (music) as of a musical instrument.
- Muscular power, muscle; nerve, nervous energy; vigor, vigorous strength.
- That which gives strength or in which strength consists; a supporting factor or member; mainstay.
- A nerve.
verb
- To knit together or make strong with, or as if with, sinews.
Words closest in meaning
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