Library / English Dictionary

HAMSTRING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: hamstrung   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

One of the tendons at the back of the knee

Synonyms:

hamstring; hamstring tendon

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("hamstring" is a kind of...):

sinew; tendon (a cord or band of inelastic tissue connecting a muscle with its bony attachment)

Derivation:

hamstring (cripple by cutting the hamstring)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cripple by cutting the hamstring

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "hamstring" is one way to...):

cripple; lame (deprive of the use of a limb, especially a leg)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

hamstring (one of the tendons at the back of the knee)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make ineffective or powerless

Example:

The teachers were hamstrung by the overly rigid schedules

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Hypernyms (to "hamstring" is one way to...):

bedevil; crucify; dun; frustrate; rag; torment (treat cruelly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to hamstring Sue

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