Anatomy
Achilles tendon Audio
A·chil·les ten·don
Subclass of:
Tendon
Etymology:
Greek Achilles = figure of Greek mythology + Latin tendo = a tendon (from tendere = to stretch)
Achilles was dipped in the river Styx by his mother to render him impervious to wounds. She held him by his heel, which remained vulnerable
Definitions related to achilles tendon:
  • The tendon that, in general, attaches the gastrocnemius muscle to the calcaneous bone in the tarsus.
    CDISC Terminology
    Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC), 2021
  • Tendon that connects the muscles in the back of the calf to the HEEL BONE.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • The tendon that connects the heel bone to the calf muscles at the back of the lower leg.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • (achilles' tendon) A band of connective tissue that connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. This tissue is prone to swelling and/or rupture.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • (calcaneal tendon) Skeletal ligament, each instance of which is a fibrous cord of connective tissue that attaches some triceps sura and plantaris muscles to the tuberosity of some calcaneus.
    Foundational Model of Anatomy
    University of Washington, 2017
  • Achilles tendon, strong tendon at the back of the heel that connects the calf muscles to the heel. The tendon is formed from the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles (the calf muscles) and is inserted into the heel bone. The contracting calf muscles lift the heel by this tendon, thus producing a foot...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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