sinew 
He that Brst said that Money was the sinew of all 
things spake it chiefly, in my opinion, in respect of the 
Warres. Xorth, tr. of Plutarch's Lives [Cleomenes], p. 677. 
Good company and good discourse are the very sinews 
of virtue. /. Walton, Complete Angler, p. 64. 
The whalemen especially have been the sinews of the 
American navy. The Century, XL. S09. 
Sinew-backed bow. see bowl. - Sinews of war, money. 
Neither is the authority of Machiavel to he despised, 
who scorneth the proverb of estate taken first from a 
speech of Miidanus, that moneys are the rinem of warn ; 
and saith there are no true sinews of ware but the very 
sinews of the arms of valiant men. 
Bacon. Speech for Naturalization ( Works, ed. Spedding, 
[X. S24). 
Sinew (sin'u), . t. [< xineir, .] 1. To furnish 
with sinews ; strengthen as by sinews ; make 
robust; harden; steel. 
He will rather do it [sue for peace] when he sees 
Ourselves well sinewed to our defence. 
ShaJc., K. John, v. 7. 88. 
2. To serve as sinews of; be the support or 
mainstay of. 
Wretches now stuck up for long tortures, lest luxury 
should feel a momentary pang, might, if properly treat- 
ed, serve to sinew the state in time of danger. 
Goldsmith, Vicar, xxTii. 
3. To knit or bind strongly4 join (irmly. 
[Rare.] 
Ask the Lady Bona for thy queen ; 
So shalt thou sinew both these lands together. 
Shak., 3 Hen. VI., ii. 8. 91. 
sineweyt, A Middle English form of senri/. 
sinewiness (sin'u-i-nes), . The state or char- 
acter of being sinewy. Builey, 1727. 
sinewisht (sin'u-ish), . [< sinew + -ix/i 1 .] 
Sinewy. [Kare.] 
His [Hugh de Lacie's] neck was short, and his bodie 
hairie, as also not fleshie but sineimsh and strong com- 
pact. Oiraldvs Cambrensis, Conquest of Ireland (trans.), 
[ii. 24 (Holinshed's Chron.V 
sinewizet (sin'u-iz), r. t. [< sinew + -i.e.] To 
sinew; make sinewy. [Bare.] 
Such an anatomy of wit, so sineirized and arterized that 
'tis the goodliest model of pleasure that ever was to be- 
hold. />'. Jo/won, Every Man out of his Humour, iii. 1. 
sinewless (sin'u-les), . [< sincif + -legs.] 
Having no sinews or muscles ; lacking strength 
or vigor, as of sinews; not sinewy. 
Death stood all glassy in his fixed eye ; . . . 
His foot, in bony whiteness, glitter d there, 
Shrunken and sinewless, and ghastly bare. 
Byron, Saul. 
SineWOUSt (sin'u-us), . [< sinew + -OUS.J 
Sinewy. 
His armes and other lims more sinewous than fleshie. 
Giraldus Cambrensis, Conquest of Ireland (trans.), Ii. 10 
[(Holiushed's Chron.). 
sinew-shrunk (sin'u-shrungk). a. In farriery, 
having the sinews of the belly-muscles shrunk 
by excessive fatigue, as a horse. 
sinewy (sin'u-i), . [< ME. senouy; < sineir + 
-y l .~] 1. Of the nature of a sinew; resembling 
a sinew; forming a sinew; tendinous: as, sin- 
rwy fibers ; a sinewy muscle, in which the ten- 
dinous part is conspicuous. 
The sinewy thread my brain lets fall 
Through every part 
Can tie those parts, and make me one of all. 
Donne, The Funeral. 
2. Having strong sinews; hence, muscular; 
strong; brawny; robust. 
Take oxen yonge, . . . playne bak and streght, 
The thies sadde and senou-y. 
Palladium, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 129. 
For thy vigour, 
Bull-bearing Milo his addition yield 
To sinewy Ajax. Shak., T. and t'., ii. 3. 2;.. 
3. Pertaining to or due to physical strength ; 
hence, stout, strong, or vigorous in any way. 
Motion and long-during action tires 
The sinewy vigour of the traveller. 
Shak., L. L. L., iv. 3. 308. 
In the literature of Koine it is that we find the true El 
Dorado of rhetoric, as we might expect from the sinewy 
compactness of the language. De Quince*/, Rhetoric. 
sinfonia (sin-fo-ne'a), n. [It. : see symphony.'] 
In music, same as symphony. 
sinfoniet, . In music, same as symphony. 
sinful (sin'ful), a. [< ME. sinful synful, senfiil. 
sunful, < AS. synful, synfull (= Icel. syndafvUr, 
syndfullr = Sw. si/iidfuU = Dan. syndefuM), < 
syn, sin, + full, full: see sini and -/?.] 1. 
Full of sin; wicked; iniquitous; unholy. 
Thu, a wrecche sunful mon. Ancren Rimle, p. 68. 
Shame attend the sinful ! 
I know my innocence. 
Fletcher, Wife for a Month, iv. 5. 
2. Containing or consisting in sin; contrary 
to the laws of God: as, xinful action; sin fill 
thoughts; sinful words. 
564 I 
Nature herself, though pure of riiijtil thought, 
Wrought in her so that, seeing me, she turned. 
Hilton, P. L, vili 608. 
3. Contrary to propriety, discretion, wisdom, 
or the like; wrong; blameworthy. 
Were it not sinful then, striving to mend, 
To mar the subject that before was well? 
.s'Aifi-., Sonneta, ciii. 
= Syn. Illegal, Immoral, etc. (see criminal), bad, evil, 
unrighteous, ungodly, impious. 
sinfully (sin'ful-i), rfc. [< ME. synfuJlirln. 
xinfiiHike; < sinful + -/2/ 2 .] 1. In a sinful 
manner, (a) So as to incur the guilt of sin ; wickedly : 
iniiinitously ; unworthily. 
"Sir," Beide Hervy, "ye sey euell and siftifulliche, but 
soche is now youre talentc.' Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 497. 
The humble and contented man pleases himself inno- 
cently and easily, while the ambitious man attempts to 
please others sinfully and difficultly. Smith. 
(ft) Reprehensibly ; wrongly : a weakened sense. 
We were a sinjtdly indiscreet and curious young couple 
to talk of the affairs of others as we did. 
D. C. Hurray, Weaker Vessel, xiii. 
2. By sin; bv or in consequence of sinful acts. 
[Rare.] 
If a son that is by his father sent about merchandise do 
.'iitni/ft miscarry upon the sea, the imputation of his 
wickedness, by your rule, should be imposed upon his 
father that sent him. Shak., Heu. V., Iv. 1. 155. 
sinfulness (siu'fiil-nes), n. [< ME. synfulnesse; 
< sinful + -ness.] The state or character of 
being sinful; especially, the quality of being 
contrary to the divine law ; wickedness ; de- 
pravity; moral corruption; iniquity: as, the 
sinf ulness of an action; the sinfulness of thoughts 
or purposes. 
Good with had 
Expect to hear, supernal grace contending 
With sinfulnem of men. Mill;,,, P. L., xi 380. 
sing (sing), r. ; pret. sting or suny, pp. snug, 
ppr. singing. [< ME. singen, syngen (pret. sanij, 
song, pi. sungen, songe, pp. sungen, songen, songc, 
i-sungen, i-sonye), < AS. singini (pret. sting, pi. 
sungon, pp. sungen), sing, chant, sound (used 
of the human voice, also poet, of the howling 
of wolves, the sound of a trumpet, etc.), = OS. 
siiigan = OFries. siontja = MD. singen, D. zi- 
gen = MLG. LG. .tingen, sing, = OHG. singan, 
sing, crow, MHG. G. singen, sing, = Icel. syngjti 
= Sw. sjunga = Dan. synge = Goth, siggwan (for 
*singirun), sing, also read or intone (used of 
Christ's reading the Scriptures in the syna- 
gogue) ; perhaps orig. imitative, like ring, and 
used orig. of the clash of weapons, resonance 
of metals, and the rush of a missile through 
the air (although in the earliest recorded uses 
it denotes human utterance). If imitative, it 
has nothing to do with AS. sccgan, etc., say: 
see say 1 . Hence singe^, song."] I. intrans. 1. 
To utter words or inarticulate sounds in musi- 
cal succession or with a tone that is musical 
in quality; chant: said of human beings. 
On of the Jewys be gan to siui'i, and than all the women 
daunsed to gedyr by the space of an ower. 
Torkingtun, Diarie of Eng. Travel], p. (S3. 
Such musick, as 'tis said, 
Before was never made, 
But when of old the sons of morning sung. 
Hilton, Nativity, 1. 119. 
2f. Specifically, to intone. 
Thei suffre not the! Latynes to synt/en at here Awterea. 
Mandt'i-itte, Travels, p. 19. 
3. To produce tuneful, musical, or rhythmical 
sounds: said of certain birds, beasts, and in- 
sects, and of various inanimate things : as, sing- 
ing sands. 
Bestes and . . . Bryddes . . . songen fulle delectabely, 
and meveden be craft, that it semede that thei weren 
quyke. Mandeoille, Travels, p. 278. 
When the bagpipe tiny* i' the nose. 
Shak., M. of V., iv. 1.49. 
At eve a dry cicala sung. 
Tennyson, Mariana in the South. 
4. To give out a continuous murmuring, hum- 
ming, buzzing, or whistling sound. 
Another storm brewing ; I hear it giny i' the wind. 
5/io*., Tempest, ii. -2. 20. 
The kettle was sinning, and the clock was ticking stead- 
ily toward four o'clock. George Eliot, Felix Holt, Ii. 
5. To cry out with pain or displeasure ; squeal. 
[Humorous.] 
Certes, lecchours dide he grettest wo ; 
They sholde singen if that they were bent. 
Chaucer, Friar's Tale, 1. 13. 
6. To compose verse; relate or rehearse some- 
thing in numbers or verse. 
Who would not sing for Lycidas? He knew 
Himself to sing, and build the lofty rhyme. 
Mitton, Lycidas, 1. 10. 
7. To have the sensation of a continuous hum- 
ming or ringing sound ; ring. 
Sing 
Their ears simj, by reason of some cold and rheum. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 266. 
8. To be capable of being sung; be adaptable 
to a musical setting. 
I know it [Ossianic hymnj myself very well, and I know 
several old poems that will srtyj to it. 
O'Curry, Anc. Irish, II. xwviii. 
Singing bird, (a) A bird that sings ; a songster ; a singer. 
My old friend ought not to pass the remainder of In- 
life in a cage like a si-nging bird. 
Addisfin, Guardian, No. 87. 
(6) Technically, an oscine passerine bird, whether it can 
sing or not ; any member of the Oscines or Cantatores, many 
of which are songless. Singing falcon. Sevsinginghawk, 
In-low. Singing fish, a raTiiorman toad-nsh of thefamily 
Hatrachidx, the midshipman, Porwhthiis porot,i#simus. It 
attains a length of over In inches, and abounds on the 
Pacific coast of the United States from Puget Sound south- 
ward. Singing hawk, one of five or six different Afri- 
can hawks of the genus Melierax, as M. canonts or M. po- 
tiwni/x ; a chanting-falcon. The name is due to lefaucon 
'l,",if,'ur of Levaillant, 17!)9, whence Falco canuni* of Kis- 
lach, 1799, F. muficus of Dandin, 1800, chanting -falcon of 
Latham. Ib02, together with the genus Melierax of O. H. 
(iray, 1840 all these terms being based upon the South 
African bird, St. canorus. The reputation of these hawks 
for musical ability appears to rest upon very slight basis 
of fact, if any. Sec cut under ilelierar. Singing mouse, 
a mouse that sings. It is not a distinct species. Some 
individuals of the common house-mouse, Mus inunculut, 
and of the American wood-mouse, Hespeniwys leucopus, 
have been known to acquire the trick or habit of warbling 
a few musical notes in a high key and with a shrill, wiry 
timbre, vocalizing in a manner fairly to be called singing. 
-To hear a bird sing. See birdi. To sing out, to 
speak or call out loudly and distinctly ; shout. [Colloq. ) 
When the call- boy would sing out for Captain Aeaugarde, 
in the second act, we'd find that he had levanted with our 
best slashed trousers. C. Lever, Harry Lorrequer, xvi. 
To Sing small, to adopt a humble tone or part, as through 
defeat or inferiority ; play a subordinate or insignificant 
part. 
I must myself sing nnatt in her company ! I will never 
meet at hard edge with her. 
Richardson, Sir Charles Urandison, I. 98. 
II. trims. 1. To utter in musical sounds or 
with musical alternations of pitch ; chant. 
And hy (they] zonge thane zang thet none other ne may 
Zllnfft. Ayenbite of Invj/t (E. E. T. S. ), p. 268. 
By shallow rivers, to whose falls 
Melodious birds sing madrigals. 
Marlowe, Passionate Shepherd to His Love. 
2f. Specifically, to intone. 
The mede that meny prestes taketh for masses that thei 
syngen. Piers Plomnan (C), iv. 313. 
3. To celebrate with singing, or with some form 
of sound resembling singing; proclaim musi- 
cally or resonantly ; chant. 
I hear a tempest coming, 
'I hat sings mine and my kingdom's ruin. 
Beau, and Fl., Thierry and Theodoret, i. 2. 
By what Voice, Sound, what Tongue, 
Can this Eternall Deitie be tung! 
Heyrcood, Hierarchy of Angels, p. 80. 
4. To frame, utter, or declaim in poetic form. 
But now my Muse dull heavy numbers sings; 
Cupid, 'tis thou alone giv'st verse her wings. 
Randolph, Complaint against Cupid. 
6. To celebrate in numbers ov verse ; describe 
or glorify in poetry. 
That happy verse 
Which aptly sings the good. 
Shak., T. of A., I. 1. 18. 
Arms, and the man I sing, who, forced by Fate, 
And haughty Juno s unrelenting hate, 
Expelled and exiled, left the Trojan shore. 
Dryden, JSneid, i. 1. 
6. To utter with enthusiasm ; celebrate : as, to 
sing a person's praises on all occasions. 
And I'll 
Be bound, the players shall sing your praises then, 
Without their poets. B. Jonson, Alchemist, ii. 1. 
7. To usher in or out, attend on, or accompany 
with singing: as, to ying the old year out and 
the new year in. 
Sweet bird, that sing'st away the early hours, 
Of winters past or coming void of care, 
Well pleased with delights which present are. 
Drmnmund, Flowers of Siou, To the Nightingale. 
I heard them sintring home the bride ; 
And, as I listened to the song, 
I thought my turn would come ere long. 
Longfellow, Blind Girl of Castel-Cuille, ii. 
8. To bring, send, force, or effect, as any end 
or change, by singing: as, to sing a child to 
sleep. 
She will sing the savageness out of a bear. 
Shak., Othello, iv. 1. :>Go. 
TO Sing another Song or tune, to take a different tone ; 
modify one's tone or manner, especially with humility or 
submissiveness. [Colloq. ] 
Constable. Madam. 
The Queene must heare you sing another gong 
Before you part with vs. 
Elizabeth. My God doth know, 
I can no note but truth. 
, If you Know not me (Works, I. 207). 
