sinew
noun /ˈsɪnjuː/
/ˈsɪnjuː/
Idioms - [countable, uncountable] a strong band of tissue in the body that joins a muscle to a boneTopics Bodyc2
- [usually plural] (literary) a source of strength or power
- the sinews of economic life
Word OriginOld English sin(e)we ‘tendon’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zeen and German Sehne.
Idioms
strain every sinew/nerve (to do something)
- to try as hard as you can to do something
- He strained very sinew to snatch victory from defeat.