Dictionary
1hamstring
noun ham·string \ˈham-ˌstriŋ\
: a tendon at the back of a person's knee
: a muscle at the back of a person's upper leg
Full Definition of HAMSTRING
1
a : either of two groups of tendons at the back of the human knee b : any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh
2
: a large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped
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First Known Use of HAMSTRING
1565
Rhymes with HAMSTRING
Anqing, backswing, Baoding, bedspring, Beijing, bi-swing, bitewing, bowstring, bullring, Chongqing, clearwing, downswing, drawstring, D ring, earring, first-string, forewing, G-string, greenwing, growth ring, hairspring, handspring, headspring, heartstring, hind wing, hot spring, Kunming, lacewing, lapwing, latchstring, left-wing, mainspring, Nanjing, Nan Ling, Nanning, O-ring, offspring, plaything, redwing, right-wing, seal ring, shoestring, slip ring, sure thing, unsling, unstring, upspring, upswing, waxwing, wellspring, whitewing, wingding, Xining
2hamstring
verb
: to damage or ruin the force or effectiveness of (something or someone)
hamstrung \-ˌstrəŋ\hamstring·ing \-ˌstriŋ-iŋ\
Full Definition of HAMSTRING
transitive verb
1
: to make ineffective or powerless : cripple <hamstrung by guilt>
2
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons
See hamstring defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of HAMSTRING
1641
Related to HAMSTRING
- Synonyms
- cripple, disable, paralyze, immobilize, incapacitate, prostrate
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