How to Pronounce Semitendinosus

Say it like this: sem-ee-ten-dih-NO-sus. Break it into five syllables, and put the stress on the fourth syllable (NO). The word rhymes the ending with "lotus" or "status."

The stress falls on the fourth syllable: NO-sus. A common mistake is stressing the first or second syllable instead, but remember that the emphasis belongs on that "NO" in the middle-to-end of the word.

Divide it like this: sem-i-ten-di-NO-sus. That gives you six syllables total, with the stress landing clearly on the "NO."

The word has two Latin roots: "semi-" means "half," and "tendinosus" comes from "tendino," which means "tendon." So the word literally means "half-tendon," referring to the fact that this muscle has a long, prominent tendon.

It's a hamstring muscle—one of the major muscles on the back of your thigh. You can think of it as one of the three muscles that help you bend your knee and move your leg backward.

Other medical terms with "tendino" include tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon) and tendinopathy (a disease or problem with a tendon). All of these words relate to tendons, the tough cords that attach muscles to bones.

Here's an example: "The semitendinosus is located on the inner back of the thigh and works together with other hamstring muscles to bend the knee." This shows how the word is used when talking about leg anatomy.

Many people say sem-i-TEN-di-no-sus or SEM-i-ten-di-no-sus, putting the stress in the wrong place. Remember: the stress goes on NO, making it sem-i-ten-di-NO-sus.