die Sehne
tendon
A tough, fibrous band of tissue that connects a muscle to a bone and transfers the muscle’s force to the bone.
EXAMPLE
Die Sehne im Fuß ist beim Sport gerissen.
The tendon in his foot tore while he was exercising.
die Sehne
tendon / bowstring / chord
die Sehne, die Sehnen
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Meanings
die Sehne
bowstring
A taut string on a bow that is used to shoot an arrow.
EXAMPLE
Die Sehne am Bogen muss fest gespannt sein.
The bowstring must be pulled tight.
die Sehne
chord
In geometry, a straight line segment that connects two points on a circle.
EXAMPLE
Die Sehne des Kreises verbindet die beiden markierten Punkte.
The chord of the circle connects the two marked points.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Sehne, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Sehnen |
| genitive | der Sehne |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Sehne | die Sehnen |
| accusative | die Sehne | die Sehnen |
| dative | der Sehne | den Sehnen |
| genitive | der Sehne | der Sehnen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Context clue
The intended meaning of „Sehne“ (tendon, bowstring, or chord) can usually be identified from the context: with muscles and bones, it refers to the body; with a bow and arrow, it refers to shooting; and with a circle and points, it refers to geometry.
EXAMPLE
Wegen der verletzten Sehne konnte er den Arm kaum bewegen.
Because of his injured tendon, he could barely move his arm.
Sie legte den Pfeil auf die Sehne und zielte.
She placed the arrow on the bowstring and took aim.
Im Mathematikunterricht zeichneten wir eine Sehne in den Kreis.
In math class, we drew a chord in the circle.
Typical collocations
In a medical context, „Sehne“ (tendon) is often used in expressions such as „eine Sehne reißt“ (a tendon tears), „sich eine Sehne zerren oder verletzen“ (to strain or injure a tendon), „eine Sehne entzündet sich“ (a tendon becomes inflamed), and „eine Sehne überlasten“ (to overstrain a tendon).
EXAMPLE
Beim Tennisspielen hat sie eine Sehne in der Schulter überlastet.
She overstrained a tendon in her shoulder while playing tennis.
Bow-related expressions
When referring to a bow, „Sehne“ (bowstring) commonly appears with verbs such as „spannen“ (to pull tight), „ziehen“ (to draw), and „loslassen“ (to release). When the arrow is shot, the bowstring transfers its tension to the arrow.
EXAMPLE
Der Bogenschütze zog die Sehne langsam zurück.
The archer slowly drew the bowstring back.
Geometric context
In geometry, „Sehne“ (chord) refers to a line segment inside a circle; typical expressions include „Sehne des Kreises“ (chord of the circle) and „Länge der Sehne“ (length of the chord).
EXAMPLE
Die Länge der Sehne lässt sich mit den angegebenen Punkten berechnen.
The length of the chord can be calculated using the given points.
In real life
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