Syn.— Disposition; temperament; frame; humor; mood. See Disposition.
TEMPERTem"per, v. i.
1. To accord; to agree; to act and think in conformity. [Obs.] Shak.
2. To have or get a proper or desired state or quality; to grow soft and pliable. I have him already tempering between my finger and my thumb, and shortly will I seal with him. Shak.
TEMPERATem"pe*ra, n. Etym: [It.] (Paint.)
Defn: A mode or process of painting; distemper.
Note: The term is applied especially to early Italian painting, common vehicles of which were yolk of egg, yolk and white of egg mixed together, the white juice of the fig tree, and the like.
TEMPERABLETem"per*a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being tempered.The fusible, hard, and temperable texture of metals. Emerson.
TEMPERAMENTTem"per*a*ment, n. Etym: [L. temperamentum a mixing in dueproportion, proper measure, temperament: cf. F. tempérament. SeeTemper, v. t.]
1. Internal constitution; state with respect to the relative proportion of different qualities, or constituent parts. The common law . . . has reduced the kingdom to its just state and temperament. Sir M. Hale.
2. Due mixture of qualities; a condition brought about by mutual compromises or concessions. [Obs.] However, I forejudge not any probable expedient, any temperament that can be found in things of this nature, so disputable on their side. Milton.
3. The act of tempering or modifying; adjustment, as of clashing rules, interests, passions, or the like; also, the means by which such adjustment is effected. Wholesome temperaments of the rashness of popular assemblies. Sir J. Mackintosh.
4. Condition with regard to heat or cold; temperature. [Obs.] Bodies are denominated "hot" and "cold" in proportion to the present temperament of that part of our body to which they are applied. Locke.
5. (Mus.)
Defn: A system of compromises in the tuning of organs, pianofortes, and the like, whereby the tones generated with the vibrations of a ground tone are mutually modified and in part canceled, until their number reduced to the actual practicable scale of twelve tones to the octave. This scale, although in so far artificial, is yet closely suggestive of its origin in nature, and this system of tuning, although not mathematically true, yet satisfies the ear, while it has the convenience that the same twelve fixed tones answer for every key or scale, C# becoming identical with D, and so on.
6. (Physiol.)
Defn: The peculiar physical and mental character of an individual, in olden times erroneously supposed to be due to individual variation in the relations and proportions of the constituent parts of the body, especially of the fluids, as the bile, blood, lymph, etc. Hence the phrases, bilious or choleric temperament, sanguine temperament, etc., implying a predominance of one of these fluids and a corresponding influence on the temperament. Equal temperament (Mus.), that in which the variations from mathematically true pitch are distributed among all the keys alike. — Unequal temperament (Mus.), that in which the variations are thrown into the keys least used.
TEMPERAMENTALTem`per*a*men"tal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to temperament; constitutional. [R.] Sir T.Browne.
TEMPERANCETem"per*ance, n. Etym: [L. temperantia: cf. F. tempérance. SeeTemper, v. t.]
1. Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; moderation; as, temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth; specifically, moderation, and sometimes abstinence, in respect to using intoxicating liquors.
2. Moderation of passion; patience; calmness; sedateness. [R.] "A gentleman of all temperance." Shak. He calmed his wrath with goodly temperance. Spenser.
3. State with regard to heat or cold; temperature. [Obs.] "Tender and delicate temperance." Shak. Temperance society, an association formed for the purpose of diminishing or stopping the use of alcoholic liquors as a beverage.
TEMPERANCYTem"per*an*cy, n.
Defn: Temperance.
TEMPERATE Tem"per*ate, a. Etym: [L. temperatus, p.p. of temperare. See Temper, v. t.]
1. Moderate; not excessive; as, temperate heat; a temperate climate.
2. Not marked with passion; not violent; cool; calm; as, temperate language. She is not hot, but temperate as the morn. Shak. That sober freedom out of which there springs Our loyal passion for our temperate kings. Tennyson.
3. Moderate in the indulgence of the natural appetites or passions; as, temperate in eating and drinking. Be sober and temperate, and you will be healthy. Franklin.
4. Proceeding from temperance. [R.] The temperate sleeps, and spirits light as air. Pope. Temperate zone (Geog.), that part of the earth which lies between either tropic and the corresponding polar circle; — so called because the heat is less than in the torrid zone, and the cold less than in the frigid zones.
Syn.— Abstemious; sober; calm; cool; sedate.
TEMPERATETem"per*ate, v. t.
Defn: To render temperate; to moderate; to soften; to temper. [Obs.]It inflames temperance, and temperates wrath. Marston.
TEMPERATELYTem"per*ate*ly, adv.
Defn: In a temperate manner.
TEMPERATENESSTem"per*ate*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being temperate; moderateness; temperance.
TEMPERATIVETem"per*a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. L. temperativus soothing.]
Defn: Having power to temper. [R.] T. Granger.
TEMPERATURE Tem"per*a*ture, n. Etym: [F. température, L. temperatura due measure, proportion, temper, temperament.]
1. Constitution; state; degree of any quality. The best composition and temperature is, to have openness in fame and opinion, secrecy in habit, dissimulation in seasonable use, and a power to feign, if there be no remedy. Bacon. Memory depends upon the consistence and the temperature of the brain. I. Watts.
2. Freedom from passion; moderation. [Obs.] In that proud port, which her so goodly graceth, Most goodly temperature you may descry. Spenser.
3. (Physics)
Defn: Condition with respect to heat or cold, especially as indicated by the sensation produced, or by the thermometer or pyrometer; degree of heat or cold; as, the temperature of the air; high temperature; low temperature; temperature of freezing or of boiling.
4. Mixture; compound. [Obs.] Made a temperature of brass and iron together. Holland. Absolute temperature. (Physics) See under Absolute. — Animal temperature (Physiol.), the nearly constant temperature maintained in the bodies of warm-blooded (homoiothermal) animals during life. The ultimate source of the heat is to be found in the potential energy of the food and the oxygen which is absorbed from the air during respiration. See Homoiothermal. — Temperature sense (Physiol.), the faculty of perceiving cold and warmth, and so of perceiving differences of temperature in external objects. H. N. Martin.
TEMPEREDTem"pered, a.
Defn: Brought to a proper temper; as, tempered steel; having (such) a temper; — chiefly used in composition; as, a good-tempered or bad- tempered man; a well-tempered sword.
TEMPERERTem"per*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, tempers; specifically, a machine in which lime, cement, stone, etc., are mixed with water.
TEMPERINGTem"per*ing, n. (Metal.)
Defn: The process of giving the requisite degree of hardness or softness to a substance, as iron and steel; especially, the process of giving to steel the degree of hardness required for various purposes, consisting usually in first plunging the article, when heated to redness, in cold water or other liquid, to give an excess of hardness, and then reheating it gradually until the hardness is reduced or drawn down to the degree required, as indicated by the color produced on a polished portion, or by the burning of oil. Tempering color, the shade of color that indicates the degree of temper in tempering steel, as pale straw yellow for lancets, razors, and tools for metal; dark straw yellow for penknives, screw taps, etc.; brown yellow for axes, chisels, and plane irons; yellow tinged with purple for table knives and shears; purple for swords and watch springs; blue for springs and saws; and very pale blue tinged with green, too soft for steel instruments.
TEMPER SCREWTem"per screw.
1. A screw link, to which is attached the rope of a rope-drilling apparatus, for feeding and slightly turning the drill jar at each stroke.
2. A set screw used for adjusting.
TEMPEST Tem"pest, n. Etym: [OF. tempeste, F. tempête, (assumed) LL. tempesta, fr. L. tempestas a portion of time, a season, weather, storm, akin to tempus time. See Temporal of time.]
1. An extensive current of wind, rushing with great velocity and violence, and commonly attended with rain, hail, or snow; a furious storm. [We] caught in a fiery tempest, shall be hurled, Each on his rock transfixed. Milton.
2. Fig.: Any violent tumult or commotion; as, a political tempest; a tempest of war, or of the passions.
3. A fashionable assembly; a drum. See the Note under Drum, n., 4. [Archaic] Smollett.
Note: Tempest is sometimes used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, tempest-beaten, tempest-loving, tempest-tossed, tempest-winged, and the like.
Syn.— Storm; agitation; perturbation. See Storm.
TEMPESTTem"pest, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OF. tempester, F. tempêter to rage.]
Defn: To disturb as by a tempest. [Obs.] Part huge of bulk Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their gait, Tempest the ocean. Milton.
TEMPESTTem"pest, v. i.
Defn: To storm. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
TEMPESTIVETem*pes"tive, a. Etym: [L. tempestivus.]
Defn: Seasonable; timely; as, tempestive showers. [Obs.] Heywood.— Tem*pes"tive*ly, adv. [Obs.]
TEMPESTIVILYTem`pes*tiv"i*ly, n. Etym: [L. tempestivitas.]
Defn: The quality, or state, of being tempestive; seasonableness.[Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
TEMPESTUOUS Tem*pes"tu*ous, a. Etym: [L. tempestuous: cf. OF. tempestueux, F. tempêtueux.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a tempest; involving or resembling a tempest; turbulent; violent; stormy; as, tempestuous weather; a tempestuous night; a tempestuous debate. — Tem*pes"tu*ous*ly, adv. — Tem*pes"tu*ous*ness, n. They saw the Hebrew leader, Waiting, and clutching his tempestuous beard. Longfellow.
TEMPLARTem"plar, n. Etym: [OE. templere, F. templier, LL. templarius. SeeTemple a church.]
1. One of a religious and military order first established at Jerusalem, in the early part of the 12th century, for the protection of pilgrims and of the Holy Sepulcher. These Knights Templars, or Knights of the Temple, were so named because they occupied an apartment of the palace of Bladwin II. in Jerusalem, near the Temple.
Note: The order was first limited in numbers, and its members were bound by vows of chastity and poverty. After the conquest of Palestine by the Saracens, the Templars spread over Europe, and, by reason of their reputation for valor and piety, they were enriched by numerous donations of money and lands. The extravagances and vices of the later Templars, however, finally led to the suppression of the order by the Council of Vienne in 1312.
2. A student of law, so called from having apartments in the Temple at London, the original buildings having belonged to the Knights Templars. See Inner Temple, and Middle Temple, under Temple. [Eng.]
3. One belonged to a certain order or degree among the Freemasons, called Knights Templars. Also, one of an order among temperance men, styled Good Templars.
TEMPLARTem"plar, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a temple. [R.]Solitary, family, and templar devotion. Coleridge.
TEMPLATETem"plate, n.
Defn: Same as Templet.
TEMPLETem"ple, n. Etym: [Cf. Templet.] (Weaving)
Defn: A contrivence used in a loom for keeping the web stretched transversely.
TEMPLE Tem"ple, n. Etym: [OF. temple, F. tempe, from L. tempora, tempus; perhaps originally, the right place, the fatal spot, supposed to be the same word as tempus, temporis, the fitting or appointed time. See Temporal of time, and cf. Tempo, Tense, n.]
1. (Anat.)
Defn: The space, on either side of the head, back of the eye and forehead, above the zygomatic arch and in front of the ear.
2. One of the side bars of a pair of spectacles, jointed to the bows, and passing one on either side of the head to hold the spectacles in place.
TEMPLE Tem"ple, n. Etym: [AS. tempel, from L. templum a space marked out, sanctuary, temple; cf. Gr. témple, from the Latin. Cf. Contemplate.]
1. A place or edifice dedicated to the worship of some deity; as, the temple of Jupiter at Athens, or of Juggernaut in India. "The temple of mighty Mars." Chaucer.
2. (Jewish Antiq.)
Defn: The edifice erected at Jerusalem for the worship of Jehovah.Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. John x. 23.
3. Hence, among Christians, an edifice erected as a place of public worship; a church. Can he whose life is a perpetual insult to the authority of God enter with any pleasure a temple consecrated to devotion and sanctified by prayer Buckminster.
4. Fig.: Any place in which the divine presence specially resides. "The temple of his body." John ii. 21. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 Cor. iii. 16. The groves were God's first temples. Bryant. Inner Temple, and Middle Temple, two buildings, or ranges of buildings, occupied by two inns of court in London, on the site of a monastic establishment of the Knights Templars, called the Temple.
TEMPLETem"ple, v. t.
Defn: To build a temple for; to appropriate a temple to; as, to temple a god. [R.] Feltham.
TEMPLEDTem"pled, a.
Defn: Supplied with a temple or temples, or with churches; inclosedin a temple.I love thy rocks and rills, Thy woods and templed hills. S. F. Smith.
TEMPLET Tem"plet, n. Etym: [LL. templatus vaulted, from L. templum a small timber.] [Spelt also template.]
1. A gauge, pattern, or mold, commonly a thin plate or board, used as a guide to the form of the work to be executed; as, a mason's or a wheelwright's templet.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: A short piece of timber, iron, or stone, placed in a wall under a girder or other beam, to distribute the weight or pressure.
TEMPOTem"po, n. Etym: [It., fr. L. tempus. See Tense, n.] (Mus.)
Defn: The rate or degree of movement in time. A tempo giusto (joos"to) Etym: [It.], in exact time; — sometimes, directing a return to strict time after a tempo rubato. — Tempo rubato. See under Rubato.
TEMPORAL Tem"po*ral, a. Etym: [L. temporalis, fr. tempora the temples: cf. F. temporal. See Temple a part of the head.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the temple or temples; as, the temporal bone; a temporal artery. Temporal bone, a very complex bone situated in the side of the skull of most mammals and containing the organ of hearing. It consists of an expanded squamosal portion above the ear, corresponding to the squamosal and zygoma of the lower vertebrates, and a thickened basal petrosal and mastoid portion, corresponding to the periotic and tympanic bones of the lower vertebrates.
TEMPORAL Tem"po*ral, a. Etym: [L. temporalis, fr. tempus, temporis, time, portion of time, the fitting or appointed time: cf. F. temporel. Cf. Contemporaneous, Extempore, Temper, v. t., Tempest, Temple a part of the head, Tense, n., Thing.]
1. Of or pertaining to time, that is, to the present life, or this world; secular, as distinguished from sacred or eternal. The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. iv. 18. Is this an hour for temporal affairs Shak.
2. Civil or political, as distinguished from ecclesiastical; as, temporal power; temporal courts. Lords temporal. See under Lord, n. — Temporal augment. See the Note under Augment, n.
Syn.— Transient; fleeting; transitory.
TEMPORALTem"po*ral, n.
Defn: Anything temporal or secular; a temporality; — used chiefly inthe plural. Dryden.He assigns supremacy to the pope in spirituals, and to the emperor ortemporals. Lowell.
TEMPORALITYTem`po*ral"i*ty, n.; pl. Temporalities. Etym: [L. temporalitas, inLL., possessions of the church: cf. F. temporalité.]
1. The state or quality of being temporary; — opposed to perpetuity.
2. The laity; temporality. [Obs.] Sir T. More.
3. That which pertains to temporal welfare; material interests; especially, the revenue of an ecclesiastic proceeding from lands, tenements, or lay fees, tithes, and the like; — chiefly used in the plural. Supreme head, . . . under God, of the spirituality and temporality of the same church. Fuller.
TEMPORALLYTem"po*ral*ly, adv.
Defn: In a temporal manner; secularly. [R.] South.
TEMPORALNESSTem"po*ral*ness, n.
Defn: Worldliness. [R.] Cotgrave.
TEMPORALTYTem"po*ral*ty, n. Etym: [See Temporality.]
1. The laity; secular people. [Obs.] Abp. Abbot.
2. A secular possession; a temporality.
TEMPORANEOUS Tem`po*ra"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. temporaneus happening at the right time, fr. tempus, temporis, time.]
Defn: Temporarity. [Obs.] Hallywell.
TEMPORARILYTem"po*ra*ri*ly, adv.
Defn: In a temporary manner; for a time.
TEMPORARINESSTem"po*ra*ri*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being temporary; — opposed to perpetuity.
TEMPORARY Tem"po*ra*ry, a. Etym: [L. temporarius, fr. tempus, temporis, time: cf. F. temporaire.]
Defn: Lasting for a time only; existing or continuing for a limitedtime; not permanent; as, the patient has obtained temporary relief.Temporary government of the city. Motley.Temporary star. (Astron.) See under Star.
TEMPORISTTem"po*rist, n.
Defn: A temporizer. [Obs.]Why, turn a temporist, row with the tide. Marston.
TEMPORIZATIONTem`po*ri*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. temporisation.]
Defn: The act of temporizing. Johnson.
TEMPORIZETem"po*rize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Temporized; p. pr. & vb. n.Temporizing.] Etym: [F. temporiser. See Temporal of time.]
1. To comply with the time or occasion; to humor, or yield to, the current of opinion or circumstances; also, to trim, as between two parties. They might their grievance inwardly complain, But outwardly they needs must temporize. Daniel.
2. To delay; to procrastinate. [R.] Bacon.
3. To comply; to agree. [Obs.] Shak.
TEMPORIZERTem"po*ri`zer, n.
Defn: One who temporizes; one who yields to the time, or complies with the prevailing opinions, fashions, or occasions; a trimmer. A sort of temporizers, ready to embrace and maintain all that is, or shall be, proposed, in hope of preferment. Burton.
TEMPORIZINGLYTem"po*ri`zing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a temporizing or yielding manner.
TEMPORO-Tem"po*ro-.
Defn: A combining form used in anatomy to indicate connection with, or relation to, the temple, or temporal bone; as, temporofacial.
TEMPORO-AURICULARTem`po*ro-au*ric"u*lar, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple and the ear; as, the temporo-auricular nerve.
TEMPOROFACIALTem`po*ro*fa"cial, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple and the face.
TEMPOROMALARTem`po*ro*ma"lar, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple and the region of the malar bone; as, the temporomalar nerve.
TEMPOROMAXILLARYTem`po*ro*max"il*la*ry, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple or the temporal bone and the maxilla.
TEMPSTemps, n. Etym: [OF. & F., fr. L. tempus. See Temporal of time.]
Defn: Time. [Obs.] Chaucer.
TEMPSETempse, n.
Defn: See Temse. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
TEMPT Tempt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tempted; p. pr. & vb. n. Tempting.] Etym: [OE. tempten, tenten, from OF. tempter, tenter, F. tenter, fr. L. tentare, temptare, to handle, feel, attack, to try, put to the test, urge, freq. from tendere, tentum, and tensum, to stretch. See Thin, and cf. Attempt, Tend, Taunt, Tent a pavilion, Tent to probe.]
1. To put to trial; to prove; to test; to try. God did tempt Abraham. Gen. xxii. 1. Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God. Deut. vi. 16.
2. To lead, or endeavor to lead, into evil; to entice to what is wrong; to seduce. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. James i. 14.
3. To endeavor to persuade; to induce; to invite; to incite; toprovoke; to instigate.Tempt not the brave and needy to despair. Dryden.Nor tempt the wrath of heaven's avenging Sire. Pope.
4. To endeavor to accomplish or reach; to attempt. Ere leave be given to tempt the nether skies. Dryden.
Syn.— To entice; allure; attract; decoy; seduce.
TEMPTABILITYTempt`a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being temptable; lability to temptation.
TEMPTABLETempt"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being tempted; liable to be tempted. Cudworth.
TEMPTATION Temp*ta"tion, n. Etym: [OF. temptation, tentation, F. tentation, L. tentatio.]
1. The act of tempting, or enticing to evil; seduction. When the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. Luke iv. 13.
2. The state of being tempted, or enticed to evil. Lead us not into temptation. Luke xi. 4.
3. That which tempts; an inducement; an allurement, especially to something evil. Dare to be great, without a guilty crown; View it, and lay the bright temptation down. Dryden.
TEMPTATIONLESSTemp*ta"tion*less, a.
Defn: Having no temptation or motive; as, a temptationless sin. [R.]Hammond.
TEMPTATIOUSTemp*ta"tious, a.
Defn: Tempting. [Prov. Eng.]
TEMPTERTempt"er, n.
Defn: One who tempts or entices; especially, Satan, or the Devil, regarded as the great enticer to evil. "Those who are bent to do wickedly will never want tempters to urge them on." Tillotson. So glozed the Tempter, and his proem tuned. Milton.
TEMPTINGTempt"ing, a.
Defn: Adapted to entice or allure; attractive; alluring; seductive;enticing; as, tempting pleasures.— Tempt"ing*ly, adv.— Tempt"ing*ness, n.
TEMPTRESSTempt"ress, n.
Defn: A woman who entices.She was my temptress, the foul provoker. Sir W. Scott.
TEMSETemse, n. Etym: [F. tamis, or D. tems, teems. Cf. Tamine.]
Defn: A sieve. [Written also tems, and tempse.] [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. Temse bread, Temsed bread, Temse loaf, bread made of flour better sifted than common fluor. [Prov. Eng.]
TEMULENCE; TEMULENCYTem"u*lence, Tem"u*len*cy, n. Etym: [L. temulentia.]
Defn: Intoxication; inebriation; drunkenness. [R.] "Their temulency."Jer. Taylor.
TEMULENTTem"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. temulentus.]
Defn: Intoxicated; drunken. [R.]
TEMULENTIVETem"u*lent*ive, a.
Defn: Somewhat temulent; addicted to drink. [R.] R. Junius.
TEN Ten, a. Etym: [AS. ten, tién, t, tene; akin to OFries. tian, OS. tehan, D. tien, G. zehn, OHG. zehan, Icel. tiu, Sw. tio, Dan. ti, Goth. taíhun, Lith. deszimt, Russ. desiate, W. deg, Ir. & Gael. deich, L. decem, Gr. daçan. *308. Cf. Dean, Decade, Decimal, December, Eighteen, Eighty, Teens, Tithe.]
Defn: One more than nine; twice five.With twice ten sail I crossed the Phrygian Sea. Dryden.
Note: Ten is often used, indefinitely, for several, many, and otherlike words.There 's proud modesty in merit, Averse from begging, and resolved topay Ten times the gift it asks. Dryden.
TENTen, n.
1. The number greater by one than nine; the sum of five and five; ten units of objects. I will not destroy it for ten's sake. Gen. xviii. 32.
2. A symbol representing ten units, as 10, x, or X.
TENABILITYTen`a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tenable; tenableness.
TENABLETen"a*ble, a. Etym: [F. tenable, fr. tenir to hold, L. tenere. SeeThin, and cf. Continue, Continent, Entertain, Maintain, Tenant,Tent.]
Defn: Capable of being held, naintained, or defended, as against an assailant or objector, or againts attempts to take or process; as, a tenable fortress, a tenable argument. If you have hitherto concealed his sight, Let it be tenable in your silence still. Shak. I would be the last man in the world to give up his cause when it was tenable. Sir W. Scott.
TENABLENESSTen`a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: Same as Tenability.
TENACE Ten"ace, n. Etym: [F. tenace tenacious, demeurer tenace to hold the best and third best cards and take both tricks, and adversary having to lead. See Tenacious.] (Whist)
Defn: The holding by the fourth hand of the best and third best cards of a suit led; also, sometimes, the combination of best with third best card of a suit in any hand.
TENACIOUSTe*na"cious, a. Etym: [L. tenax, -acis, from tenere to hold. SeeTenable, and cf. Tenace.]
1. Holding fast, or inclined to hold fast; inclined to retain what is in possession; as, men tenacious of their just rights.
2. Apt to retain; retentive; as, a tenacious memory.
3. Having parts apt to adhere to each other; cohesive; tough; as, steel is a tenacious metal; tar is more tenacious than oil. Sir I. Newton.
4. Apt to adhere to another substance; glutinous; viscous; sticking; adhesive. "Female feet, too weak to struggle with tenacious clay." Cowper.
5. Niggardly; closefisted; miserly. Ainsworth.
6. Holding stoutly to one's opinion or purpose; obstinate; stubborn.— Te*na"cious*ly, adv.— Te*na"cious*ness, n.
TENACITYTe*nac"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. tenacitas: cf. F. ténacité. See Tenacious.]
1. The quality or state of being tenacious; as, tenacity, or retentiveness, of memory; tenacity, or persistency, of purpose.
2. That quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force; cohesiveness; the effect of attraction; — as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
3. That quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness; viscosity. Holland.
4. (Physics)
Defn: The greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder, — usually expressed with reference to a unit area of the cross section of the substance, as the number of pounds per square inch, or kilograms per square centimeter, necessary to produce rupture.
TENACULUM Te*nac"u*lum, n.; pl. L. Tenacula; E. Tenaculums. Etym: [L., a holder, fr. tenere to hold. Cf. Tenaille.] (Surg.)
Defn: An instrument consisting of a fine, sharp hook attached to a handle, and used mainly for taking up arteries, and the like.
TENACYTen"a*cy, n. Etym: [L. tenacia obstinacy. See Tenacious.]
Defn: Tenaciousness; obstinacy. [Obs.] Barrow.
TENAILLETe*naille", n. Etym: [F., a pair of pincers or tongs, a tenaille, fr.L. tenaculum. See Tenaculum.] (Fort.)
Defn: An outwork in the main ditch, in front of the curtain, between two bastions. See Illust. of Ravelin.
TENAILLONTe*nail"lon, n. Etym: [F. See Tenaille.] (Fort.)
Defn: A work constructed on each side of the ravelins, to increase their strength, procure additional ground beyond the ditch, or cover the shoulders of the bastions.
TENANCY Ten"an*cy, n.; pl. Tenacies. Etym: [Cf. OF. tenace, LL. tenentia. See Tenant.] (Law) (a) A holding, or a mode of holding, an estate; tenure; the temporary possession of what belongs to another. (b) (O. Eng. Law) A house for habitation, or place to live in, held of another. Blount. Blackstone. Wharton.
TENANT Ten"ant, n. Etym: [F. tenant, p.pr. of tenir to hold. See Tenable, and cf. Lieutenant.]
1. (Law)
Defn: One who holds or possesses lands, or other real estate, by any kind of right, whether in fee simple, in common, in severalty, for life, for years, or at will; also, one who has the occupation or temporary possession of lands or tenements the title of which is in another; — correlative to landlord. See Citation from Blackstone, under Tenement, 2. Blount. Wharton.
2. One who has possession of any place; a dweller; an occupant. "Sweet tenants of this grove." Cowper. The hhappy tenant of your shade. Cowley. The sister tenants of the middle deep. Byron. Tenant in capite Etym: [L. in in + capite, abl. of caput head, chief.], or Tenant in chief, by the laws of England, one who holds immediately of the king. According to the feudal system, all lands in England are considered as held immediately or mediately of the king, who is styled lord paramount. Such tenants, however, are considered as having the fee of the lands and permanent possession. Blackstone. — Tenant in common. See under Common.
TENANTTen"ant, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tenanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Tenanting.]
Defn: To hold, occupy, or possess as a tenant. Sir Roger's estate is tenanted by persons who have served him or his ancestors. Addison.
TENANTABLETen"ant*a*ble, a.
Defn: Fit to be rented; in a condition suitable for a tenant.— Ten"ant*a*ble*ness, n.
TENANTLESSTen"ant*less, a.
Defn: Having no tenants; unoccupied; as, a tenantless mansion. Shak.
TENANTRYTen"ant*ry, n.
1. The body of tenants; as, the tenantry of a manor or a kingdom.
2. Tenancy. [Obs.] Ridley.
TENANT SAWTen"ant saw`.
Defn: See Tenon saw, under Tenon.
TENCHTench, n. Etym: [OF. tenche, F. tanche, L. tinca.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European fresh-water fish (Tinca tinca, or T. vulgaris) allied to the carp. It is noted for its tenacity of life.
TENDTend, v. t. Etym: [See Tender to offer.] (O. Eng. Law)
Defn: To make a tender of; to offer or tender. [Obs.]
TENDTend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tended; p. pr. & vb. n. Tending.] Etym:[Aphetic form of attend. See Attend, Tend to move, and cf. Tender onethat tends or attends.]
1. To accompany as an assistant or protector; to care for the wants of; to look after; to watch; to guard; as, shepherds tend their flocks. Shak. And flaming ministers to watch and tend Their earthly charge. Milton. There 's not a sparrow or a wren, There 's not a blade of autumn grain, Which the four seasons do not tend And tides of life and increase lend. Emerson.
2. To be attentive to; to note carefully; to attend to. Being to descend A ladder much in height, I did not tend My way well down. Chapman. To tend a vessel (Naut.), to manage an anchored vessel when the tide turns, so that in swinging she shall not entangle the cable.
TENDTend, v. i.
1. To wait, as attendants or servants; to serve; to attend; — with on or upon. Was he not companion with the riotous knights That tend upon my father Shak.
2. Etym: [F. attendre.]
Defn: To await; to expect. [Obs.] Shak.
TENDTend, v. i. Etym: [F. tendre, L. tendere, tensum and tentum, tostretch, extend, direct one's course, tend; akin to Gr. tan. SeeThin, and cf. Tend to attend, Contend, Intense, Ostensible, Portent,Tempt, Tender to offer, Tense, a.]
1. To move in a certain direction; — usually with to or towards.Two gentlemen tending towards that sight. Sir H. Wotton.Thus will this latter, as the former world, Still tend from bad toworse. Milton.The clouds above me to the white Alps tend. Byron.
2. To be directed, as to any end, object, or purpose; to aim; to have or give a leaning; to exert activity or influence; to serve as a means; to contribute; as, our petitions, if granted, might tend to our destruction. The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want. Prov. xxi. 5. The laws of our religion tend to the universal happiness of mankind. Tillotson.
TENDANCETend"ance, n. Etym: [See Tend to attend, and cf. Attendance.]
1. The act of attending or waiting; attendance. [Archaic] Spenser. The breath Of her sweet tendance hovering over him. Tennyson.
2. Persons in attendance; attendants. [Obs.] Shak.
TENDENCETend"ence, n.
Defn: Tendency. [Obs.]
TENDENCY Tend"en*cy, n.; pl. Tendencies. Etym: [L. tendents, -entis, p.pr. of tendere: cf. F. tendance. See Tend to move.]
Defn: Direction or course toward any place, object, effect, or result; drift; causal or efficient influence to bring about an effect or result. Writings of this kind, if conducted with candor, have a more particular tendency to the good of their country. Addison. In every experimental science, there is a tendency toward perfection. Macaulay.
Syn.— Disposition; inclination; proneness; drift; scope; aim.
TENDERTend"er, n. Etym: [From Tend to attend. Cf. Attender.]
1. One who tends; one who takes care of any person or thing; a nurse.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A vessel employed to attend other vessels, to supply them with provisions and other stores, to convey intelligence, or the like.
3. A car attached to a locomotive, for carrying a supply of fuel and water.
TENDERTen"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tendered; p. pr. & vb. n. Tendering.]Etym: [F. tendre to stretch, stretch out, reach, L. tendere. See Tendto move.]
1. (Law)
Defn: To offer in payment or satisfaction of a demand, in order to save a penalty or forfeiture; as, to tender the amount of rent or debt.
2. To offer in words; to present for acceptance. You see how all conditions, how all minds, . . . tender down Their services to Lord Timon. Shak.
TENDERTen"der, n.
1. (Law)
Defn: An offer, either of money to pay a debt, or of service to be performed, in order to save a penalty or forfeiture, which would be incurred by nonpayment or nonperformance; as, the tender of rent due, or of the amount of a note, with interest.
Note: To constitute a legal tender, such money must be offered as the law prescribes. So also the tender must be at the time and place where the rent or debt ought to be paid, and it must be to the full amount due.
2. Any offer or proposal made for acceptance; as, a tender of a loan, of service, or of friendship; a tender of a bid for a contract. A free, unlimited tender of the gospel. South.
3. The thing offered; especially, money offered in payment of an obligation. Shak. Legal tender. See under Legal. — Tender of issue (Law), a form of words in a pleading, by which a party offers to refer the question raised upon it to the appropriate mode of decision. Burrill.
TENDERTen"der, a. [Compar. Tenderer; superl. Tenderest.] Etym: [F. tendre,L. tener; probably akin to tenuis thin. See Thin.]
1. Easily impressed, broken, bruised, or injured; not firm or hard; delicate; as, tender plants; tender flesh; tender fruit.
2. Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained. Our bodies are not naturally more tender than our faces. L'Estrange.
3. Physically weak; not hardly or able to endure hardship; immature; effeminate. The tender and delicate woman among you. Deut. xxviii. 56.
4. Susceptible of the softer passions, as love, compassion, kindness; compassionate; pitiful; anxious for another's good; easily excited to pity, forgiveness, or favor; sympathetic. The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. James v. 11. I am choleric by my nature, and tender by my temper. Fuller.
5. Exciting kind concern; dear; precious. I love Valentine, Whose life's as tender to me as my soul! Shak.
6. Careful to save inviolate, or not to injure; — with of. "Tender of property." Burke. The civil authority should be tender of the honor of God and religion. Tillotson.
7. Unwilling to cause pain; gentle; mild. You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies, Will never do him good. Shak.
8. Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic; as, tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain.
9. Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate; as, a tender subject. "Things that are tender and unpleasing." Bacon.
10. (Naut.)
Defn: Heeling over too easily when under sail; — said of a vessel.
Note: Tender is sometimes used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, tender-footed, tender-looking, tender-minded, tender- mouthed, and the like.
Syn. — Delicate; effeminate; soft; sensitive; compassionate; kind; humane; merciful; pitiful.
TENDERTen"der, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tendre.]
Defn: Regard; care; kind concern. [Obs.] Shak.
TENDERTen"der, v. t.
Defn: To have a care of; to be tender toward; hence, to regard; toesteem; to value. [Obs.]For first, next after life, he tendered her good. Spenser.Tender yourself more dearly. Shak.To see a prince in want would move a miser's charity. Our westernprinces tendered his case, which they counted might be their own.Fuller.
TENDERFOOTTen"der*foot`, n.
Defn: A delicate person; one not inured to the hardship and rudeness of pioneer life. [Slang, Western U.S.]
TENDER-HEARTEDTen"der-heart`ed, a.
Defn: Having great sensibility; susceptible of impressions orinfluence; affectionate; pitying; sensitive.— Ten"der-heart`ed*ly, adv.— Ten"der-heart`ed*ness, n.Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could not withstand them.2 Chron. xiii. 7.Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted. Eph. iv. 32.
TENDER-HEFTEDTen"der-heft`ed, a.
Defn: Having great tenderness; easily moved. [Obs.] Shak.
TENDERLINGTen"der*ling, n.
1. One made tender by too much kindness; a fondling. [R.] W. Harrison (1586).
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the first antlers of a deer.
TENDERLOINTen"der*loin`, n.
Defn: A strip of tender flesh on either side of the vertebral column under the short ribs, in the hind quarter of beef and pork. It consists of the psoas muscles.
TENDERLYTen"der*ly, adv.
Defn: In a tender manner; with tenderness; mildly; gently; softly; in a manner not to injure or give pain; with pity or affection; kindly. Chaucer.
TENDERNESSTen"der*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tender (in any sense of the adjective).
Syn. — Benignity; humanity; sensibility; benevolence; kindness; pity; clemency; mildness; mercy.
TENDINOUSTen"di*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. tendineux.]
1. Pertaining to a tendon; of the nature of tendon.
2. Full of tendons; sinewy; as, nervous and tendinous parts of the body.
TENDMENTTend"ment, n.
Defn: Attendance; care. [Obs.]
TENDON Ten"don, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. tendere to stretch, extend. See Tend to move.] (Anat.)
Defn: A tough insensible cord, bundle, or band of fibrous connective tissue uniting a muscle with some other part; a sinew. Tendon reflex (Physiol.), a kind of reflex act in which a muscle is made to contract by a blow upon its tendon. Its absence is generally a sign of disease. See Knee jerk, under Knee.
TENDONOUSTen"don*ous, a.
Defn: Tendinous.
TENDOSYNOVITISTen`do*syn`o*vi"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Tendon, and Synovitis.]
Defn: See Tenosynovitis.
TENDRACTen"drac, n. Etym: [See Tenrec.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small insectivores of the family Centetidæ, belonging to Ericulus, Echinope, and related genera, native of Madagascar. They are more or less spinose and resemble the hedgehog in habits. The rice tendrac (Oryzorictes hora) is very injurious to rice crops. Some of the species are called also tenrec.
TENDRETen"dre, n. [F.]
Defn: Tender feeling or fondness; affection.
You poor friendless creatures are always having some foolish tendre.Thackeray.
TENDRESSETen*dresse", n. [F.]
Defn: Tender feeling; fondness. [Obs., except as a French word]
TENDRILTen"dril, n. Etym: [Shortened fr. OF. tendrillon, fr. F. tendretender; hence, properly, the tender branch or spring of a plant: cf.F. tendrille. See Tender, a., and cf. Tendron.] (Bot.)
Defn: A slender, leafless portion of a plant by which it becomes attached to a supporting body, after which the tendril usually contracts by coiling spirally.
Note: Tendrils may represent the end of a stem, as in the grapevine; an axillary branch, as in the passion flower; stipules, as in the genus Smilax; or the end of a leaf, as in the pea.
TENDRILTen"dril, a.
Defn: Clasping; climbing as a tendril. [R.] Dyer.
TENDRILED; TENDRILLEDTen"driled, Ten"drilled, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Furnished with tendrils, or with such or so many, tendrils."The thousand tendriled vine." Southey.
TENDRONTen"dron, n. Etym: [F. Cf. Tendril.]
Defn: A tendril. [Obs.] Holland.
TENDRYTen"dry, n.
Defn: A tender; an offer. [Obs.] Heylin.
TENETene, n. & v.
Defn: See 1st and 2d Teen. [Obs.]
TENEBRAETen"e*bræ, n. Etym: [L., pl., darkness.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: The matins and lauds for the last three days of Holy Week, commemorating the sufferings and death of Christ, — usually sung on the afternoon or evening of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, instead of on the following days.
TENEBRICOSETe*neb"ri*cose`, a. Etym: [L. tenebricosus.]
Defn: Tenebrous; dark; gloomy. [Obs.]
TENEBRIFICTen`e*brif"ic, a. Etym: [L. tenebrae darkness + facere to make.]
Defn: Rendering dark or gloomy; tenebrous; gloomy.It lightens, it brightens, The tenebrific scene. Burns.Where light Lay fitful in a tenebrific time. R. Browning.
TENEBRIFICOUSTen`e*brif"ic*ous, a.
Defn: Tenebrific.Authors who are tenebrificous stars. Addison.
TENEBRIOUSTe*ne"bri*ous, a.
Defn: Tenebrous. Young.
TENEBROSETen"e*brose`, a.
Defn: Characterized by darkness or gloom; tenebrous.
TENEBROSITYTen`e*bros"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tenebrous; tenebrousness. Burton.
TENEBROUS Ten"e*brous, a. Etym: [L. tenebrosus, fr. tenebrae darkness: cf. F. ténébreux.]
Defn: Dark; gloomy; dusky; tenebrious.— Ten"e*brous*ness, n.The most dark, tenebrous night. J. Hall (1565).The towering and tenebrous boughts of the cypress. Longfellow.
TENEMENTTen"e*ment, n. Etym: [OF. tenement a holding, a fief, F. tènement,LL. tenementum, fr. L. tenere to hold. See Tenant.]
1. (Feud. Law)
Defn: That which is held of another by service; property which one holds of a lord or proprietor in consideration of some military or pecuniary service; fief; fee.
2. (Common Law)
Defn: Any species of permanent property that may be held, so as to create a tenancy, as lands, houses, rents, commons, an office, an advowson, a franchise, a right of common, a peerage, and the like; — called also free or frank tenements. The thing held is a tenement, the possessor of it a "tenant," and the manner of possession is called "tenure." Blackstone.
3. A dwelling house; a building for a habitation; also, an apartment, or suite of rooms, in a building, used by one family; often, a house erected to be rented.
4. Fig.: Dwelling; abode; habitation. Who has informed us that a rational soul can inhabit no tenement, unless it has just such a sort of frontispiece Locke. Tenement house, commonly, a dwelling house erected for the purpose of being rented, and divided into separate apartments or tenements for families. The term is often applied to apartment houses occupied by poor families.
Syn. — House; dwelling; habitation. — Tenement, House. There may be many houses under one roof, but they are completely separated from each other by party walls. A tenement may be detached by itself, or it may be part of a house divided off for the use of a family.
TENEMENTALTen`e*men"tal, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a tenement; capable of being held by tenants. Blackstone.
TENEMENTARYTen`e*men"ta*ry, a.
Defn: Capable of being leased; held by tenants. Spelman.
TENENT Ten"ent, n. Etym: [L. tenent they hold, 3d pers. pl. pres. of tenere.]
Defn: A tenet. [Obs.] Bp. Sanderson.
TENERALTen"er*al, a. Etym: [L. tener, -eris, tender, delicate.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, a condition assumed by the imago of certain Neuroptera, after exclusion from the pupa. In this state the insect is soft, and has not fully attained its mature coloring.
TENERIFFETen`er*iffe", n.
Defn: A white wine resembling Madeira in taste, but more tart, produced in Teneriffe, one of the Canary Islands; — called also Vidonia.
TENERITYTe*ner"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. teneritas. See Tender, a.]
Defn: Tenderness. [Obs.] Ainsworth.
TENESMICTe*nes"mic, a. (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to tenesmus; characterized by tenesmus.
TENESMUSTe*nes"mus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. tenesmos.] (Med.)
Defn: An urgent and distressing sensation, as if a discharge from the intestines must take place, although none can be effected; — always referred to the lower extremity of the rectum. Vesical tenesmus, a similar sensation as to the evacuation of urine, referred to the region of the bladder.
TENETTen"et, n. Etym: [L. tenet he holds, fr. tenere to hold. SeeTenable.]
Defn: Any opinion, principle, dogma, belief, or doctrine, which a person holds or maintains as true; as, the tenets of Plato or of Cicero. That al animals of the land are in their kind in the sea, . . . is a tenet very questionable. Sir T. Browne. The religious tenets of his family he had early renounced with contempt. Macaulay.
Syn.— Dogma; doctrine; opinion; principle; position. See Dogma.
TENFOLDTen"fold`, a. & adv.
Defn: In tens; consisting of ten in one; ten times repeated.The grisly Terror . . . grew tenfold More dreadful and deform.Milton.
TENIATe"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: See Tænia.
TENIOIDTe"ni*oid, a.
Defn: See Tænoid.
TENNANTITE Ten"nant*ite, n. Etym: [Named after Smithson Tennant, an English chemist.] (Min.)
Defn: A blackish lead-gray mineral, closely related to tetrahedrite.It is essentially a sulphide of arsenic and copper.
TENNETen`né", n. Etym: [Cf. Tawny.] (Her.)
Defn: A tincture, rarely employed, which is considered as an orange color or bright brown. It is represented by diagonal lines from sinister to dexter, crossed by vertical lines.
TENNISTen"nis, n. Etym: [OE. tennes, tenies, tenyse; of uncertain origin,perhaps fr. F. tenez hold or take it, fr. tenir to hold (seeTenable).]
Defn: A play in which a ball is driven to and fro, or kept in motion by striking it with a racket or with the open hand. Shak. His easy bow, his good stories, his style of dancing and playing tennis, . . . were familiar to all London. Macaulay. Court tennis, the old game of tennis as played within walled courts of peculiar construction; — distinguished from lawn tennis. — Lawn tennis. See under Lawn, n. — Tennis court, a place or court for playing the game of tennis. Shak.
TENNISTen"nis, v. t.
Defn: To drive backward and forward, as a ball in playing tennis.[R.] Spenser.
TENNOTen*no", n. [Jap. tenno, fr. Chin. t'ien heaven + wang king.]
Defn: Lit., King of Heaven; — a title of the emperor of Japan as the head of the Shinto religion.
TENNUTen"nu, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The tapir.
TENNYSONIANTen`ny*so"ni*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Alfred (Lord) Tennyson, the English poet (1809-92); resembling, or having some of the characteristics of, his poetry, as simplicity, pictorial quality, sensuousness, etc.
TEN-O'CLOCKTen"-o'*clock`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant, the star-of-Bethlehem. See under Star.
TENONTen"on, n. Etym: [F., fr. tenir to hold. See Tenable.] (Carp. &Join.)
Defn: A projecting member left by cutting away the wood around it, and made to insert into a mortise, and in this way secure together the parts of a frame; especially, such a member when it passes entirely through the thickness of the piece in which the mortise is cut, and shows on the other side. Cf. Tooth, Tusk. Tenon saw, a saw with a thin blade, usually stiffened by a brass or steel back, for cutting tenons. [Corruptly written tenant saw.] Gwilt.
TENONTen"on, v. t.
Defn: To cut or fit for insertion into a mortise, as the end of a piece of timber.
TENONIANTe*no"ni*an, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Discovered or described by M. Tenon, a French anatomist. Tenonian capsule (Anat.), a lymphatic space inclosed by a delicate membrane or fascia (the fascia of Tenon) between the eyeball and the fat of the orbit; — called also capsule of Tenon.
TENONITISTen`o*ni"tis, n. [NL., Gr. te`nwn tendon + -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of a tendon.
TENONITISTen`o*ni"tis, n. [NL. See Tenonian, -itis.]
Defn: Inflammation of the Tenonian capsule.
TENOR Ten"or, n. Etym: [L., from tenere to hold; hence, properly, a holding on in a continued course: cf. F. teneur. See Tenable, and cf. Tenor a kind of voice.]
1. A state of holding on in a continuous course; manner of continuity; constant mode; general tendency; course; career. Along the cool sequestered vale of life They kept the noiseless tenor of their away. Gray.
2. That course of thought which holds on through a discourse; the general drift or course of thought; purport; intent; meaning; understanding. When it [the bond] is paid according to the tenor. Shak. Does not the whole tenor of the divine law positively require humility and meekness to all men Spart.
3. Stamp; character; nature. This success would look like chance, if it were perpetual, and always of the same tenor. Dryden.
4. (Law)
Defn: An exact copy of a writing, set forth in the words and figures of it. It differs from purport, which is only the substance or general import of the instrument. Bouvier.
5. Etym: [F. ténor, L. tenor, properly, a holding; — so called because the tenor was the voice which took and held the principal part, the plain song, air, or tune, to which the other voices supplied a harmony above and below: cf. It. tenore.] (Mus.) (a) The higher of the two kinds of voices usually belonging to adult males; hence, the part in the harmony adapted to this voice; the second of the four parts in the scale of sounds, reckoning from the base, and originally the air, to which the other parts were auxillary. (b) A person who sings the tenor, or the instrument that play it. Old Tenor, New Tenor, Middle Tenor, different descriptions of paper money, issued at different periods, by the American colonial governments in the last century.
TENORRHAPHYTe*nor"rha*phy, n. [Gr. te`nwn tendon + -rhaphy.] (Surg.)
Defn: Suture of a tendon.
TENOSITISTen`o*si"tis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. te`nwn tendon + -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of a tendon.
TENOSYNOVITISTen`o*syn`o*vi"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. synovitis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the synovial sheath enveloping a tendon.
TENOTOMETen"o*tome, n. (Surg.)
Defn: A slender knife for use in the operation of tenotomy.
TENOTOMYTe*not"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: The division of a tendon, or the act of dividing a tendon.
TENPENNYTen"pen*ny, a.
Defn: Valued or sold at ten pence; as, a tenpenny cake. See 2d Penny, n.
TENPENNYTen"pen*ny, a.
Defn: Denoting a size of nails. See 1st Penny.
TENPINSTen"pins, n.
Defn: A game resembling ninepins, but played with ten pins. SeeNinepins. [U. S.]
TEN-POUNDERTen"-pound`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large oceanic fish (Elops saurus) found in the tropical parts of all the oceans. It is used chiefly for bait.
TENREC Ten"rec, n. Etym: [From the native name: cf. F. tanrac, tanrec, tandrec.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small insectivore (Centetes ecaudatus), native of Madagascar, but introduced also into the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius; — called also tanrec. The name is applied to other allied genera. See Tendrac.
TENSETense, n. Etym: [OF. tens, properly, time, F. temps time, tense. SeeTemporal of time, and cf. Thing.] (Gram.)
Defn: One of the forms which a verb takes by inflection or by adding auxiliary words, so as to indicate the time of the action or event signified; the modification which verbs undergo for the indication of time.
Note: The primary simple tenses are three: those which express time past, present, and future; but these admit of modifications, which differ in different languages.
TENSE Tense, a. Etym: [L. tensus, p.p. of tendere to stretch. See Tend to move, and cf. Toise.]
Defn: Stretched tightly; strained to stiffness; rigid; not lax; as, atense fiber.The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal palenesswas upon her. Goldsmith.— Tense"ly, adv.— Tense"ness, n.
TENSIBILITYTen`si*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tensible; tensility.
TENSIBLETen"si*ble, a. Etym: [See Tense, a.]
Defn: Capable of being extended or drawn out; ductile; tensible.Gold . . . is likewise the most flexible and tensible. Bacon.
TENSILETen"sile, a. Etym: [See Tense, a.]
1. Of or pertaining to extension; as, tensile strength.
2. Capable of extension; ductile; tensible. Bacon.
TENSILEDTen"siled, a.
Defn: Made tensile. [R.]
TENSILITYTen*sil"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tensile, or capable of extension; tensibility; as, the tensility of the muscles. Dr. H. Mere.
TENSIONTen"sion, n. Etym: [L. tensio, from tendere, tensum, to stretch: cf.F. tension. See Tense, a.]
1. The act of stretching or straining; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being bent strained; as, the tension of the muscles, tension of the larynx.
2. Fig.: Extreme strain of mind or excitement of feeling; intense effort.
3. The degree of stretching to which a wire, cord, piece of timber, or the like, is strained by drawing it in the direction of its length; strain. Gwilt.
4. (Mech.)
Defn: The force by which a part is pulled when forming part of any system in equilibrium or in motion; as, the tension of a srting supporting a weight equals that weight.