Meaning & use
tendon
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Meaning
nouncountablebiologymedical
A strong, flexible cord of tissue that joins a muscle to a bone.
Grammar: Countable: one tendon, two tendons. Often used with the verb 'pull' or 'tear' when injured.
Patterns
- pull a tendon
- tear a tendon
- a tendon in (part of body)
He tore a tendon in his ankle while playing basketball.
The Achilles tendon is the large tendon at the back of the heel.
Surgery is sometimes needed to repair a damaged tendon.
Word forms
| plural | tendons |
|---|
Common combinations
- Achilles tendon
- She felt a sharp pain in her Achilles tendon during the run.
- torn tendon
- A torn tendon can take months to heal completely.
- tendon injury
- Tendon injuries are common in athletes who train too hard.
- pull a tendon
- He pulled a tendon in his shoulder lifting weights.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- tendinitis noun
- Inflammation of a tendon, often caused by overuse.
- tendinous adjective
- Relating to tendons or resembling a tendon.
Commonly confused: tendon or ligament?
tendon vs ligament
A ligament joins one bone to another, but a tendon joins a muscle to a bone. They are often confused because both are tough bands of tissue.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'tendon' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A tendon connects muscle to bone, so 'connects the calf muscle to the heel bone' is correct. Option A describes a ligament, not a tendon.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tendon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.