tenderloin: Meaning and Definition of

ten•der•loin

1. (in beef or pork) the tender meat of the muscle running through the sirloin and terminating before the ribs.
2. a cut of beef lying between the sirloin and ribs.
3. (cap.)
1. (formerly) a district in New York City noted for corruption and vice: so called because police there could eat well from their bribes.
2. a similar district in any U.S. city.