sinew

 
Pronunciation: /ˈsɪnjuː/

noun

  • a piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone; a tendon or ligament: the sinews in her neck [mass noun]: he was all muscle and sinew
  • (usually sinews) the parts of a structure, system, or organization that give it strength or bind it together: the sinews of government

verb

[with object] (usually as adjective sinewed) literary
  • strengthen with or as if with sinews: the sinewed shape of his back

Derivatives

sinewless

adjective

Origin:

Old English sin(e)we 'tendon', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zeen and German Sehne