hamstring

/'hæmstriɳ/

Thân thiện

The athlete stretched his hamstring before the race.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A tendon at the back of the knee: In anatomy, a "hamstring" is one of the five tendons located behind the knee that connect the thigh muscles to the bones of the lower leg.

2. Verb:

   • To cripple by cutting the hamstring tendon: The primary meaning is to disable a person or animal by severing these tendons, rendering the leg useless.
   • To make ineffective or powerless: Figuratively, it means to severely restrict or hinder the effectiveness, action, or power of a person, group, or process.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He pulled a hamstring during the sprint and had to leave the race.
  • The physiotherapist massaged the tight hamstrings.

• Verb (Literal):

  • In ancient warfare, some armies were known to hamstring enemy horses.
  • The cruel practice of hamstringing an animal is now universally condemned.

• Verb (Figurative):

  • The new regulations have hamstrung our ability to innovate.
  • The research team was hamstrung by a lack of funding.

Advanced Usage

• "To be hamstrung by something": To be severely limited or made powerless by a particular factor.
  • The investigation was hamstrung by a lack of cooperation from witnesses.

Variants and Related Words

• Hamstrung: The most common past tense and past participle form of the verb.
  • The company was hamstrung by its outdated technology.
• Hamstringing: The present participle/gerund form.
  • Hamstringing the opposition's efforts became their main strategy.

Synonyms

• Verb (Cripple): disable, lame, incapacitate.
• Verb (Hinder): impede, paralyze, thwart, cripple, handicap, shackle.

Related Phrases

• Hamstring muscle: Refers to the group of three muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus) at the back of the thigh that are connected by the hamstring tendons.
• Hamstring injury: A common strain or tear of the hamstring muscles or tendons, often occurring in sports.

Học thuật

Noun

1. one of the tendons at the back of the knee

Verb

1. cripple by cutting the hamstring
2. make ineffective or powerless
   • The teachers were hamstrung by the overly rigid schedules

Từ đồng nghĩa

• hamstring tendon