sinewy

comparative more sinewy · superlative most sinewy

1. Tough; having strong sinews.

   His right hand (which seemed to me somewhat hairy and sinewy, a sign of great strength in its owner) lay on the side of his heart; […]

   1885, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, “Of the Wonderful Things the Incomparable Don Quixote Said He Saw in the Profound Cave of Montesinos, the Impossibility and Magnitude of which Cause this Adventure to be Deemed Apocryphal”, in John Ormsby, transl., The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha […] In Four Vols, volume III, London: Smith, Elder & Co. […], →OCLC, part II, page 251

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   I haue beene wooed, as I intreat thee now, Euen by the ſterne, and direfull God of warre, VVhoſe ſinowie necke in battel nere did bow, VVho conquers where he comes in euery iarre; […]

   1594, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC, [verse 17], lines [97–100]

   Synonyms: stringy

2. figurativelyHaving or showing nervous strength.
3. Possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful.

   Hawat put a sinewy finger beside his eye.

   1965 October 1, Frank Herbert, “Book I: Dune”, in Dune, Philadelphia, Pa.: Chilton Book Company; [Toronto], Ont.: Thomas Nelson & Sons, →OCLC, page 31

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   Worthy fellows, and like to prove most sinewy swordmen

   c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]