tender
pronunciation
How to pronounce tender in British English:
UK [ˈtendə(r)]
How to pronounce tender in American English:
US [ˈtendər]
-
- Noun:
- something used as an official medium of payment
- someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
- a formal proposal to buy at a specified price
- car attached to a locomotive to carry fuel and water
- a boat for communication between ship and shore
- ship that usually provides supplies to other ships
-
- Verb:
- offer or present for acceptance
- propose a payment
- make a tender of; in legal settlements
- make tender or more tender as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer
-
- Adjective:
- given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
- hurting
- susceptible to physical or emotional injury
- having or displaying warmth or affection
- easy to cut or chew
- physically untoughened
- (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail
- (of plants) not hardy; easily killed by adverse growing condition
Word Origin
- tender
- tender: English has two distinct words tender, both of which go back ultimately to the Indo- European base *ten- ‘stretch’. The adjective, ‘delicate, fragile’ [13], comes via Old French tendre from Latin tener ‘delicate’, a descendant of *ten- and source also of English tendril [16] (etymologically a ‘tender’ shoot). The verb, ‘offer’ [16], comes from another Old French tendre, which went back to Latin tendere ‘stretch, hold out’ (source of English tend, tendency, etc).=> tenant, tend, tendril
- tender (adj.)
- "soft, easily injured," early 13c., from Old French tendre "soft, delicate; young" (11c.), from Latin tenerem (nominative tener) "soft, delicate; of tender age, youthful," from a derivative of PIE root *ten- "stretch" (see tenet), on the notion of "stretched," hence "thin," hence "weak" or "young." Compare Sanskrit tarunah "young, tender," Greek teren "tender, delicate," Armenian t'arm "young, fresh, green." Meaning "kind, affectionate, loving" first recorded early 14c. Meaning "having the delicacy of youth, immature" is attested in English from early 14c. Related: Tenderly; tenderness. Tender-hearted first recorded 1530s.
- tender (v.)
- "to offer formally," 1540s, from Middle French tendre "to offer, hold forth" (11c.), from Latin tendere "to stretch, extend" (see tenet). The retention of the ending of the French infinitive is unusual (see render (v.) for another example). The noun meaning "formal offer for acceptance" is from 1540s; specific sense of "money that may be legally offered as payment" is from 1740; hence legal tender "currency."
- tender (n.)
- "person who tends another," late 15c., probably an agent noun formed from Middle English tenden "attend to" (see tend (v.2)); later extended to locomotive engineers (1825) and barmen (1883). The meaning "small boat used to attend larger ones" first recorded 1670s.
Example
- 1. He gave my mother a long , tender look .
- 2. The unsuccessful tender followed bangladesh 's inability to buy any rice at all this week .
- 3. Fresher greens are more tender and tastier .
- 4. Legal tender is a concept with no practical relevance .
- 5. That drowns the tender reed .