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hamstrung

 - 5 dictionary results

ham⋅string

  [ham-string] noun, verb, -strung, -string⋅ing.
Use hamstrung in a Sentence
–noun
1. (in humans and other primates) any of the tendons that bound the ham of the knee.
2. (in quadrupeds) the great tendon at the back of the hock.
–verb (used with object)
3. to disable by cutting the hamstring or hamstrings; cripple.
4. to render powerless or useless; thwart: Their efforts were hamstrung by stubborn pride.
Origin:
1555–65; ham 1 + string
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hamstrung
ham·string   (hām'strĭng')   
n.  

  1. Any of the tendons at the rear hollow of the human knee.

  2. or hamstrings The hamstring muscle.

  3. The large tendon in the back of the hock of a quadruped.

tr.v.   ham·strung (-strŭng'), ham·string·ing, ham·strings

  1. To cut the hamstring of (an animal or a person) and thereby cripple.

  2. To destroy or hinder the efficiency of; frustrate: "These worthwhile books are often hamstrung by unimaginative formats and inaccurate art" (Don Lessem).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

hamstring  (v.)
1641, "to disable, render useless," a figurative verbal extension from the noun hamstring "tendon at the back of the knee" (1565), from ham "bend of the knee" (see ham (1)) + string. Cutting this would render a person or animal lame.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2hamstring
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form: -strung /-"str&[ng]/; -string·ing /-"stri[ng]-i[ng]/
: to cripple by cutting the leg tendons hamstring their prey —John Madson>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

hamstring ham·string (hām'strĭng')
n.

  1. Any of the tendons at the rear hollow of the human knee.

  2. hamstrings The hamstring muscle.

  3. The large tendon in the back of the hind tarsal joint of the quadruped.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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