Meaning & use
semitendinosus
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemedical
A long muscle at the back of the thigh that helps bend the knee and extend the hip.
Grammar: Countable: the semitendinosus, two semitendinosus muscles.
Patterns
- injure the semitendinosus
- the semitendinosus muscle
The sprinter strained his semitendinosus during the race.
The semitendinosus is one of the three hamstring muscles.
A physical therapist stretched her semitendinosus after the injury.
Word forms
| plural | semitendinosi |
|---|
Common combinations
- strain the semitendinosus
- He strained the semitendinosus while sprinting.
- semitendinosus muscle
- The semitendinosus muscle runs along the back of the thigh.
- semitendinosus tendon
- The semitendinosus tendon is sometimes used in knee surgery.
- stretch the semitendinosus
- Stretch the semitendinosus gently before running.
- tear of the semitendinosus
- A tear of the semitendinosus can take weeks to heal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hamstring
- Hamstring is the everyday word for the group of muscles, while semitendinosus names one particular muscle.
- semimembranosus
- Semimembranosus is a neighbouring hamstring muscle, not a synonym, and sits deeper than the semitendinosus.
- biceps femoris
- Biceps femoris is the third hamstring muscle, on the outer side of the thigh.
Opposites
Word family
- tendon noun
- tissue that joins muscle to bone
- tendinous adjective
- made of or like a tendon
- tendinitis noun
- inflammation of a tendon
Commonly confused: semitendinosus or semimembranosus?
semitendinosus vs semimembranosus
Semimembranosus is another hamstring muscle; it lies beneath the semitendinosus and sounds similar.
Practice
Which group of muscles does the semitendinosus belong to?
Choose one answer.
The semitendinosus is one of the hamstrings at the back of the thigh. The quadriceps are at the front.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “semitendinosus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.