adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective (nominative masculine singular in -er)
tener
tener (feminine tenera, neuter tenerum, comparative tenerior, superlative tenerrimus, adverb tenerē)
Classical[ˈtɛ.nɛr]Ecclesiastical[ˈtɛː.ner]
№ 490 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- adjectivesoft, delicate, tender
- adjectiveyoung, youthful
- adjectiveeffeminate, sensitive
- adjectivepoeticerotic
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
mollis, iuvenis; tenerī annī.tener -era -erum — in Mille Verba, ch. Vīta et Mors
mollis, nōndum firmustener -era -erum — in IVLIANVS II: Imperium, ch. 1, 8, 23
mollis, novus, nōn dūrustener -era -erum — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 22
mollis, novustener -era -erum — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 19
mollis, nōn dūrustener -era -erum — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 19, 20
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | in -er tener, tenellus | tenera tenella | tenerum tenellum |
| genitive | tenerī tenellī | tenerae tenellae | tenerī tenellī |
| dative | tenerō tenellō | tenerae tenellae | tenerō tenellō |
| accusative | tenerum tenellum | teneram tenellam | tenerum tenellum |
| ablative | tenerō tenellō | tenerā tenellā | tenerō tenellō |
| vocative | tener tenelle | tenera tenella | tenerum tenellum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | tenerī tenellī | tenerae tenellae | tenera tenella |
| genitive | tenerōrum tenellōrum | tenerārum tenellārum | tenerōrum tenellōrum |
| dative | tenerīs tenellīs | tenerīs tenellīs | tenerīs tenellīs |
| accusative | tenerōs tenellōs | tenerās tenellās | tenera tenella |
| ablative | tenerīs tenellīs | tenerīs tenellīs | tenerīs tenellīs |
| vocative | tenerī tenellī | tenerae tenellae | tenera tenella |
tĕner, ĕra, ĕrum, adj. v. teneo; cf. tenuis, and Sanscr. tanu,
I. soft, delicate, tender (class.; cf. mollis).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.:
nihil est tam tenerum, neque tam flexibile neque quod tam facile sequatur quocumque ducas quam oratio, Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 176; cf. id. Brut. 79, 274; and v. II. infra): locus bipalio subactus siet beneque terra tenera siet, Cato, R. R. 45, 1; cf.: serito in loco, ubi terra tenerrima erit, id. ib. 151, 2: in tenero corpore, Lucr. 3, 765: procera et tenera palma, Cic. Leg. 1, 1, 2: radices harundinum, Caes. B. C. 3, 58: teneris arboribus incisis atque inflexis, id. B. G. 2, 17: cana legam tenerā lanugine mala, Verg. E. 2, 51: plantae, id. ib. 10, 49: caules, Hor. S. 1, 3, 116: gramen, id. C. 4, 12, 9: rami, Ov. M. 2, 359: uvae, id. R. Am. 83: prata tenerrima, id. A. A. 1, 299: aër, thin, transparent, Lucr. 2, 145; Verg. A. 9, 699; Ov. M. 4, 616: alvus, Cels. 3, 18: gallina, tender, Hor. S. 2, 4, 20; cf.: ferae tenuiores ad epulas, Gell. 17, 15, 7: caseus, Prud. Cath. 3, 70: Dianam tenerae dicite virgines, Hor. C. 1, 21, 1; so, virgines, id. ib. 4, 1, 26: conjux, id. ib. 1, 1, 26 Lycidas, id. ib. 1, 4, 19: saltatores, effeminate, Cic. Pis. 36, 89: vestem Purpuream teneris quoque Maecenatibus aptam, Juv. 12, 39: spado, id. 1, 22.—B. In partic., of tender age, young: tener ipse etiam atque puellus, Lucil. ap. Prisc. p. 697 P.:
tener et rudis, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47: tener in cunis et sine voce puer, Prop. 2, 6, 10: (annus) tener et lactens puerique simillimus aevo Vere novo est, Ov. M. 15, 201: mares, id. ib. 10, 84: equis vetulis teneros anteponere solemus, Cic. Lael. 19, 67: grex, Phaedr. 2, 4, 14: vitulus, Hor. C. 4, 2, 54: haedus, id. ib. 3, 18, 5: tigres, Val. Fl. 1, 491: manes, the shades of children, Stat. Th. 6, 121.—Of plants, tenerae res, Verg. G. 2, 343: teneri anni, youthful, tender, Plin. Pan. 15, 1; so, teneriores anni (opp. ferociores), Quint. 2, 2, 3: aetates, id. 1, 10, 34: a teneris, ut Graeci dicunt, unguiculis, i. e. from childhood, Cic. Fam. 1, 6, 2; for which: de tenero ungui, Hor. C. 3, 6, 24.—Absol.: a tenero, Quint. 1, 2, 18; cf.: ut (plantae) eam partem caeli spectent, cui ab tenero consueverunt, Col. 5, 6, 20. — Subst.: tĕnĕri, ōrum, m., the young, boys: parcendum est teneris, Juv. 14, 215; Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 59; also: in teneris, in early youth, Verg. G. 2, 272; Quint. 1, 3, 13.—II. Trop.
A. In gen., soft, delicate, tender, etc.:
est naturale in animis tenerum quiddam atque molle, Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 12: virtus est in amicitia tenera atque tractabilis, id. Lael. 13, 48: tenerior animus, id. Fam. 5, 21, 3; cf.: tenerae Mentes, Hor. C. 3, 24, 52; so, animi, id. S. 1, 4, 128: pudor, Ov. H. 2, 143: est oratio mollis et tenera et ita flexibilis, ut, etc., Cic. Or. 16, 52; cf. id. Brut. 9, 38; cf. I. supra init.; so, versus, Hor. A. P. 246; Ov. A. A. 2, 273: carmen, id. Am. 3, 8, 2.—Transf., of elegiac poets: poëta, Cat. 35, 1; Ov. R. Am. 757: Propertius, id. A. A. 3, 333: molli tenerāque voce, Quint. 11, 3, 23: tenera delicataque modulandi voluptas, id. 9, 4, 31 et saep.— B. In partic., of youthful weakness, tender: tener animus (pueri), Anton. ap. Cic. Att. 14, 13, A, 3; cf.:
horum erroribus teneri statim et rudes animi imbuuntur, Tac. Or. 29; so, adhuc mentes, Quint. 2, 4, 5.—Hence, adv., tenderly, delicately, softly. a. tĕnĕrē (post-Aug.):
dicere, Tac. Or. 26: recitare, Plin. Ep. 4, 27, 1: diligere, Vulg. Gen. 44, 20. — Comp.: complosit manus, Petr. 24.—Sup.: derasus cortex, Plin. 23, 3, 35, § 72.—b. † tĕnĕrĭter, only once cited:
teneriter quidam efferunt, ut celeriter: alii vero tenere ut libere, Charis. p. 162 P.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
tener era, erum, adj. with comp. tenerior and sup. tenerrimus
2 TA-, soft, delicate, tender, yielding : palma: harundinum radices, Cs.: cana legam tenerā lanugine mala, V.: caules, H.: rami, O.: res tenerae, i. e. the plants , V.: prata tenerrima, O.: Aër, thin , V.: gallina, tender , H.: Dianam tenerae dicite virgines, H.— Of tender age, young, youthful : tener et rudis: equis vetulis teneros anteponere solemus: grex, Ph.: a teneris, ut Graeci dicunt, unguiculis, i. e. from childhood : De tenero ungui, H.—As subst: parcendum est teneris, i. e. boys , Iu.: in teneris, in early youth , V.— Effeminate : saltatores: vestis teneris Maecenatibus apta, Iu.—Fig., soft, delicate, tender, mobile, yielding : nihil est tam tenerum quam voluntas erga nos civium: tenerior animus: tenerae Mentes, H.: pudor, O.: oratio: versūs, H.: animus (pueri), i. e. weak .
Origins
Disputed; either: * From Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, draw”). Cognates would include Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō), Sanskrit तनोति (tanóti) and Old English þennan. * Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ter- (“soft, weak, tender; young, small”) with dissimilation or metathesis: according to M. de Vaan, from Proto-Italic *terenos along with Sabine terenum (“soft”). Further cognates would include Epic Greek τέρην (térēn, “soft, gentle”), Old Armenian թոռն (tʻoṙn, “grandchild”), Middle Armenian թարմ (tʻarm, “fresh”) and Sanskrit तरुण (táruṇa, “young, tender, juvenile”), तर्ण (tárṇa, “calf”).
Ibero-Romance
- Portugueseternofrom Old Galician-Portuguese terno
- Portuguesetenrofrom Old Galician-Portuguese terno
- Spanishtierno
- Asturiantienru
- Galiciantenrofrom Old Galician-Portuguese terno
Insular Romance
- Sardinianténeru
- Sardinianténneru
Northern Gallo-Romance
- Frenchtendrefrom Old French tendre
- Englishtenderfrom Old French tendre
- Franco-Provençaltendro
Southern Gallo-Romance
- Catalantendre
- Occitantendre
- Gascontenhèrfrom Occitan tendre
- Gascontrendefrom Occitan tendre
- Languedocientenrefrom Occitan tendre
Balkano-Romance
- Romaniantânăr
- Aromaniantinir, tiniru
- Aromaniantinãr
- Istro-Romaniantiner
- Megleno-Romaniantinir
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiantenero
- Neapolitantiénnero
- Siciliantènniru
- Siciliantènnuru
- Venetantènaro
- Venetantèndro
- Venetantènero
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friuliantenar
- Ladintender
- Ladintënder
- Romanshtener
- Romanshtegnair
Gallo-Italic
- Liguriantégno
- Ligurianténio
- Lombardtender
- Lombardtendro
- Piedmontesetënner
- Piedmontesetenre
- Piedmontesetenr
Borrowings
- Proto-Brythonic*tɨner
In English words that came into English from tener
- tendertener
- teneraltener
- intenerateintenerātus