I. ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Etymology: ham (II) (popliteal space) + string
1.
a. : either of two groups of tendons bounding the upper part of the popliteal space at the back of the knee and forming the tendons of insertion of certain muscles of the back of the thigh
b. : the large tendon above and behind the hock of a quadruped : achilles' tendon
2. : a restrictive power : regulatory control
fend for itself … among myriad regulations, restrictions, and government hamstrings — Atlantic
II. transitive verb
( hamstrung ; hamstrung ; hamstringing ; hamstrings )
1.
a. : to deprive of the power of locomotion by cutting the leg tendons : cripple , disable
wolf packs hamstring and destroy many moose — Frank Dufresne
b. : to cut the muscle or tendons in the small of a whale
it is sometimes the custom when fast to a whale more than commonly powerful and alert, to seek to hamstring him — Herman Melville
2. : to make ineffective or powerless : limit or destroy the effectiveness of : hinder , impair
supporting rather than hamstringing our negotiators — F.L.Allen
talents hamstrung by respectability — Cyril Connolly
hamstring … arms production by wresting away raw-material sources — Virginia Prewett
III. noun
or hamstring muscle
: any of three muscles at the back of the thigh that function to flex and rotate the leg and extend the thigh:
a. : semimembranosus
b. : semitendinosus
c. : biceps b