Finesentence

Hamstring Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

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hamstring

ham-string

🇺🇸 /ˈhæmˌstɹɪŋ/ · 🇬🇧 /hˈæmstɹɪŋ/

Definitions

Context #1 | Noun

anatomy

The hamstring is any of the three tendons at the back of the human knee.

Examples of usage

  • The athlete pulled his hamstring during the race.
  • She felt a sharp pain in her hamstring while stretching.
Context #2 | Verb

sports

To hamstring someone is to cripple them by cutting their hamstring tendon.

Examples of usage

  • The defender tried to hamstring the opponent by tripping him.
  • The villain attempted to hamstring the hero during the chase scene.

Translations

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Quick facts about “hamstring”

Hamstring is a 2-syllable noun and verb (ham-string). It is pronounced /ˈhæmˌstɹɪŋ/ in American English and /hˈæmstɹɪŋ/ in British English. On finesentence.com it has 2 meanings and translations into 21 languages. It ranks #29,077 among the most common English words.

Origin of 'hamstring'

The word 'hamstring' dates back to the 1560s and refers to the tendons at the back of the human knee. The term 'ham' refers to the back of the knee, while 'string' refers to a cord or tendon. The expression 'to hamstring' someone originated in the context of sports and warfare, where disabling an opponent's hamstring tendon was a strategic move to incapacitate them.

Word Frequency Rank

At rank #29,077, this word represents specialized academic or technical vocabulary. It's less frequently encountered but may be valuable in specific contexts.