Adjacent Words

Tender definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TEND'ER, n. [from tend.] One that attends or takes care of; a nurse.
1. A small vessel employed to attend a larger one for supplying her with provisions and other stores, or to convey intelligence and the like.
2. In law, 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 non-payment or non-performance; as the tender of rent due, or of the amount of a note or bond with interest. To constitute a legal tender, such money must be offered as the law prescribes; the offer of bank notes is not a legal tender. 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.
There is also a tender of issue in pleadings, a tender of an oath, etc.
3. Any offer for acceptance. The gentleman made me a tender of his services.
4. The thing offered. This money is not a legal tender.
5. Regard; kind concern. [Not in use.]
TEND'ER, v.t. [L. tendo.]
1. To offer in words; or to exhibit or present for acceptance.
All conditions, all minds tender down
Their service to lord Timon.
2. To hold; to esteem.
Tender yourself more dearly. [Not in use.]
3. To offer in payment or satisfaction of a demand, for saving a penalty or forfeiture; as, to tender the amount of rent or debt.
TEN'DER, a. [L. tener; allied probably to thin, L. tenuis.]
1. Soft; easily impressed, broken, bruised or injured; not firm or hard; as tender plants; tender flesh; tender grapes. Deutoronomy 32. Song 2.
2. Very sensible to impression and pain; easily pained.
Our bodies are not naturally more tender than our faces.
3. Delicate; effeminate; not hardy or able to endure hardship.
The tender and delicate woman among you. Deutoronomy 28.
4. Weak; feeble; as tender age. Genesis 33.
5. Young and carefully educated. Proverbs 9.
6. Susceptible of the softer passions, as love, compassion, kindness; compassionate; pitiful; easily affected by the distresses of another, or anxious for another's good; as the tender kindness of the church; a tender heart.
7. Compassionate; easily excited to pity, forgiveness or favor.
The Lord is pitiful, and of tender mercy. James 5.
Luke 1.
8. Exciting kind concern.
I love Valentine;
His life's as tender to me as his soul.
9. Expressive of the softer passions; as a tender strain.
10. Careful to save inviolate, or not to injure; with of. Be tender of your neighbor's reputation.
The civil authority should be tender of the honor of God and religion.
11. Gentle; mild; unwilling to pain.
You that are so tender o'er his follies,
Will never do him good.
12. Apt to give pain; as, that is a tender subject; things that are tender and unpleasing.
13. Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; pathetic; as tender expressions; tender expostulations.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality; "a tender heart"; "a tender smile"; "tender loving care"; "tender memories"; "a tender mother" [ant: tough]
2: hurting; "the tender spot on his jaw" [syn: sensitive, sore, raw, tender]
3: young and immature; "at a tender age"
4: having or displaying warmth or affection; "affectionate children"; "a fond embrace"; "fond of his nephew"; "a tender glance"; "a warm embrace" [syn: affectionate, fond, lovesome, tender, warm]
5: easy to cut or chew; "tender beef" [ant: tough]
6: physically untoughened; "tender feet" [syn: tender, untoughened] [ant: tough, toughened]
7: (used of boats) inclined to heel over easily under sail [syn: crank, cranky, tender, tippy]
8: (of plants) not hardy; easily killed by adverse growing condition; "tender green shoots" n
1: something that can be used as an official medium of payment [syn: tender, legal tender, stamp]
2: someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another [syn: attendant, attender, tender]
3: a formal proposal to buy at a specified price [syn: bid, tender]
4: car attached to a locomotive to carry fuel and water
5: a boat for communication between ship and shore [syn: tender, ship's boat, pinnace, cutter]
6: ship that usually provides supplies to other ships [syn: tender, supply ship] v
1: offer or present for acceptance
2: propose a payment; "The Swiss dealer offered $2 million for the painting" [syn: offer, bid, tender]
3: make a tender of; in legal settlements
4: make tender or more tender as by marinating, pounding, or applying a tenderizer; "tenderize meat" [syn: tender, tenderize, tenderise]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French tendre, from Latin tener; perhaps akin to Latin tenuis thin, slight — more at thin Date: 13th century 1. a. having a soft or yielding texture ; easily broken, cut, or damaged ; delicate, fragile <tender feet> b. easily chewed ; succulent 2. a. physically weak ; not able to endure hardship b. immature, young <children of tender age> c. incapable of resisting cold ; not hardy <tender perennials> 3. marked by, responding to, or expressing the softer emotions ; fond, loving <a tender lover> 4. a. showing care ; considerate, solicitous <tender regard> b. highly susceptible to impressions or emotions ; impressionable <a tender conscience> 5. a. appropriate or conducive to a delicate or sensitive constitution or character ; gentle, mild <tender breeding> <tender irony> b. delicate or soft in quality or tone <never before heard the piano sound so tender — Elva S. Daniels> 6. obsolete dear, precious 7. a. sensitive to touch or palpation <the bruise was still tender> b. sensitive to injury or insult ; touchy <tender pride> c. demanding careful and sensitive handling ; ticklish <a tender situation> d. of a boat easily tipped by an external force • tenderly adverb • tenderness noun II. noun Etymology: ¹tender Date: 13th century obsolete consideration, regard III. verb (tendered; tendering) Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to make tender ; soften, weaken 2. archaic to regard or treat with tenderness intransitive verb to become tender IV. verb (tendered; tendering) Etymology: Middle English tendren, from Anglo-French tendre offer Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to make a tender of 2. to present for acceptance ; offer <tendered my resignation> intransitive verb to make a bid or tender <tender for a building contract> <tendered for six percent of the stock> V. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English tendur grant of a license, from Anglo-French tendre offer, tender, from tendre, verb, to stretch, hold out, offer, direct, from Latin tendere to stretch, direct — more at thin Date: circa 1543 1. an unconditional offer of money or service in satisfaction of a debt or obligation made to save a penalty or forfeiture for nonpayment or nonperformance 2. an offer or proposal made for acceptance: as a. an offer of a bid for a contract b. tender offer 3. something that may be offered in payment; specifically money VI. noun Date: 1675 one that tends: as a. (1) a ship employed to attend other ships (as to supply provisions) (2) a boat for communication or transportation between shore and a larger ship (3) a warship that provides logistic support b. a car attached to a steam locomotive for carrying a supply of fuel and water VII. noun Etymology: probably short for tenderloin Date: 1983 an often breaded strip of usually breast meat <chicken tenders>; also the tenderloin of a chicken

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj. (tenderer, tenderest) 1 easily cut or chewed, not tough (tender steak). 2 easily touched or wounded, susceptible to pain or grief (a tender heart; a tender conscience). 3 easily hurt, sensitive (tender skin; a tender place). 4 delicate, fragile (a tender reputation). 5 loving, affectionate, fond (tender parents; wrote tender verses). 6 requiring tact or careful handling, ticklish (a tender subject). 7 (of age) early, immature (of tender years). 8 (usu. foll. by of) solicitous, concerned (tender of his honour). Phrases and idioms: tender-eyed 1 having gentle eyes. 2 weak-eyed. tender-hearted having a tender heart, easily moved by pity etc. tender-heartedness being tender-hearted. tender mercies iron. attention or treatment which is not in the best interests of its recipient. tender spot a subject on which a person is touchy. Derivatives: tenderly adv. tenderness n. Etymology: ME f. OF tendre f. L tener 2. v. & n. --v. 1 tr. a offer, present (one's services, apologies, resignation, etc.). b offer (money etc.) as payment. 2 intr. (often foll. by for) make a tender for the supply of a thing or the execution of work. --n. an offer, esp. an offer in writing to execute work or supply goods at a fixed price. Phrases and idioms: plea of tender Law a plea that the defendant has always been ready to satisfy the plaintiff's claim and now brings the sum into court. put out to tender seek tenders in respect of (work etc.). Derivatives: tenderer n. Etymology: OF tendre: see TEND(1) 3. n. 1 a person who looks after people or things. 2 a vessel attending a larger one to supply stores, convey passengers or orders, etc. 3 a special truck closely coupled to a steam locomotive to carry fuel, water, etc. Etymology: ME f. TEND(2) or f. ATTENDER (as ATTEND)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tender Tend"er, n. [From Tend to attend. Cf. Attender.] 1. One who tends; one who takes care of any person or thing; a nurse. 2. (Naut.) A vessel employed to attend other vessels, to supply them with provisions and other stores, to convey intelligence, or the like.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tender Ten"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tendered; p. pr. & vb. n. Tendering.] [F. tendre to stretch, stretch out, reach, L. tendere. See Tend to move.] 1. (Law) 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tender Ten"der, n. [Cf. F. tendre.] Regard; care; kind concern. [Obs.] --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tender Ten"der, n. 1. (Law) 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tender Ten"der, v. t. To have a care of; to be tender toward; hence, to regard; to esteem; 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 western princes tendered his case, which they counted might be their own. --Fuller.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tender Ten"der, a. [Compar. Tenderer; superl. Tenderest.] [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.) 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

I. ADJECTIVE USES (tenderer, tenderest) 1. Someone or something that is tender expresses gentle and caring feelings. Her voice was tender, full of pity... ADJ • tenderly Mr. White tenderly embraced his wife. ADV: ADV with v • tenderness She smiled, politely rather than with tenderness or gratitude. 2. If you say that someone does something at a tender age, you mean that they do it when they are still young and have not had much experience. He had become attracted to the game at the tender age of seven. ADJ: ADJ n 3. Meat or other food that is tender is easy to cut or chew. Cook for a minimum of 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. ? tough ADJ 4. If part of your body is tender, it is sensitive and painful when it is touched. My tummy felt very tender... = sore ADJ • tenderness There is still some tenderness in her tummy. N-UNCOUNT II. NOUN AND VERB USES (tenders, tendering, tendered) 1. A tender is a formal offer to supply goods or to do a particular job, and a statement of the price that you or your company will charge. If a contract is put out to tender, formal offers are invited. If a company wins a tender, their offer is accepted. (BUSINESS) Builders will then be sent the specifications and asked to submit a tender for the work... N-VAR 2. If a company tenders for something, it makes a formal offer to supply goods or do a job for a particular price. (BUSINESS) The staff are forbidden to tender for private-sector work... VERB: V for n 3. If you tender something such as a suggestion, your resignation, or money, you formally offer or present it. She quickly tendered her resignation... VERB: V n 4. see also legal tender

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ten'-der: The usua1 (11 out of 16 times) translation of rakh, "soft," "delicate," with the noun rokh, in De 28:56 and the verb rakhakh, in 2Ki 22:19 parallel 2Ch 34:27. Attention need be called only to the following cases: In Ge 29:17, "Leah's eyes were tender," a physical defect is described ("weak-eyed"; see BLINDNESS). "Tender-hearted" in 2Ch 13:7 means "faint-hearted," while in 2Ki 22:19 parallel 2Ch 34:27 ("because thy heart was tender"), it means "penitent." Contrast the modern use in Eph 4:32.

Throughout Psalms (10 times) and Proverbs (12:10), but not elsewhere (the King James Version has "tender love" in Da 1:9, the Revised Version (British and American) "compassion"), English Versions of the Bible translate rachamim, "bowels," by "tender mercies," and this translation has been carried into the New Testament as "tender mercy" (the Revised Version margin "heart of mercy") for the corresponding Greek phrase splagchna eleous ("bowels of mercy") in Lu 1:78; compare "tenderhearted" for eusplagchnos ("right boweled") in Eph 4:32, based upon the idea of psychology widely spread among Semitic people, which considers the "bowels" (qerebh) as the seat of all tender emotions of kindness and mercy: See BOWELS. the King James Version also has "of tender mercy" in Jas 5:11 without justification in the Greek (oiktirmon, the Revised Version (British and American) "merciful").

Other special phrases: "tender grape" in the King James Version, So 2:13,15; 7:12, for cemadhar. The meaning of the word is not quite certain, but Revised Margin's "blossom" (except 7:12 margin) is probably right. "Tender grass" in 2Sa 23:4; Pr 27:25; the Revised Version (British and American) De 32:2 (the King James Version "tender herb"); Isa 15:6; 66:14 for deshe' "grass" (Aramaic dethe', Da 4:15,23). The context in these passages and the meaning of the cognates of deshe' in other Semitic languages make this translation probable, but Revised Version's usage is not consistent (compare Ge 1:11,12; Job 6:5; Ps 23:2, etc.). Isa, 53:2 has "tender plant" for yoneq, "a sapling," while Job 14:7 has "tender branch" for the allied word yoneqeth, usually rendered "shoot" (Job 8:16, etc.). Finally, "tender" in Mr 13:28 parallel Mt 24:32 is for hapalos, "soft." The running sap of springtime softens the branches that were stiff during the winter.

The verb "tender" occurs in 2 Macc 4:2, the King James Version "(he had) tendered his own nation," in the modern sense of "tend." The translation is a paraphrase of the noun kedemon, "a protector," the Revised Version (British and American) "the guardian of his fellow-countrymen."

Burton Scott Easton

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Soft, delicate. 2. Weak, feeble, young, infantile, youthful. 3. Effeminate, feminine, womanly, delicate. 4. Sensitive, easily pained. 5. Compassionate, kind, affectionate, sympathetic, pitiful, merciful, lenient, mild, tender-hearted. 6. Gentle, mild, lenient. 7. Pathetic, affecting, touching. 8. Painful (to speak of or tread of), unpleasant, disagreeable. 9. Dear, precious, valuable. II. v. a. Offer, proffer, present, volunteer. III. n. 1. Attendant. 2. Offer, proffer, proposal.

Moby Thesaurus

Christian, Christlike, Christly, Ganymede, Hebe, Pullman, Pullman car, accepting, accord, aching, administer, adoring, advance, affectionate, afford, agonizing, ailing, airline hostess, airline stewardess, algetic, allergic, allot, allow, amatory, amorous, anaphylactic, angry, attendant, attentive, award, baggage car, batman, bellboy, bellhop, bellman, benevolent, benign, benignant, bestow, bestow on, bid, bills, bleeding, boat, bold, bootblack, boots, boxcar, brotherly, budding, burning, cabin boy, caboose, caddie, callow, car, careful, caring, carriage, cash, cautious, chafed, chair car, charitable, chewable, chore boy, circumspect, clement, coach, coal car, commiserative, communicate, compassionate, compensate, compensation, complaisant, condolent, confer, conjugal, considerate, copyboy, covered waggon, creamy, cupbearer, curious, currency, dainty, dangerous, day coach, deal, deal out, decent, delicate, demonstrative, devoted, dewy, difficult, diner, dinghy, dining car, dish out, dispense, dole, dole out, donate, drawing room, easy, easygoing, eatable, edible, eggshell, emotionable, emotional, empathetic, empathic, errand boy, errand girl, extend, faithful, fee, feeble, feeling, festering, fiery, filial, fit for sea, flat, flatcar, fond, footboy, forbearant, forbearing, forgiving, fork out, fragile, frail, fraternal, galled, gentle, gift, gift with, gig, give, give freely, give out, gloss, gofer, gondola, good, good-natured, goosy, gracious, grant, green, growing, guerdon, hand out, heap, heartfelt, heedful, help to, hold forth, hold out, hostess, human, humane, hurting, husbandly, hyperesthetic, hyperpathic, hypersensitive, immature, impart, impassioned, impressionable, impubic, indemnify, inexperienced, infirm, inflamed, ingenuous, innocent, intact, iridescent, irritable, irritated, issue, itchy, juicy, juvenile, kind, kindhearted, kindly, kindly-disposed, languishing, launch, lavish, lax, lenient, let have, light, local, lovelorn, lovesick, lovesome, loving, luggage van, mail car, mail van, maternal, maudlin, mawkish, mellow, mellowy, melting, merciful, mete, mete out, mild, mindful, minor, moderate, mollified, money, mother-of-pearl, moving, nacreous, naive, nervous, new, new-fledged, nice, nonresistive, nonrigid, offer, office boy, office girl, opalescent, orderly, overrefined, oversensible, oversensitive, overtender, page, painful, palace car, pale, parental, parlor car, passenger car, passible, passionate, pastel, paternal, patient, patinaed, pay, pay by installments, pay on, payment, pearly, pitying, poignant, pose, pour, prefer, prepay, present, presentation, prickly, proffer, proposal, propose, proposition, provocative, purpose, put forward, put up, quiet, railway car, rain, rankling, raw, receptive, recompense, red, reefer, refined, refrigerator car, regardful, remit, remunerate, render, responsive, reward, ripening, romantic, roomette, ruthful, sad, salary, sappy, satisfy, sea-kindly, seaworthy, semigloss, sensible, sensitive, sentimental, serve, set before, shaky, shell out, shower, sickly, simple, skiff, skittish, sleeper, slip, smarting, smoker, smoking car, snow, snug, sober, soft, soft as putty, soft-colored, soft-hued, softened, softhearted, solicitous, somber, soothing, sore, soul-stirring, specie, squire, steward, stewardess, stiff, stirring, stockcar, subdued, submit, subtle, suggest, supersensitive, susceptible, sweet, sympathetic, sympathizing, tactful, tank, tenderhearted, tetchy, thin-skinned, thoughtful, ticklish, tingling, tolerant, touching, touchy, trainbearer, tricky, troublesome, truck, unadult, underage, understanding, undeveloped, unfledged, unformed, uninitiated, unlicked, unmellowed, unripe, unseasoned, unsound, unstable, untrained, unwell, usher, uxorious, van, vehicle, vernal, virginal, vouchsafe, vulnerable, waggon, wagon, warm, warm-hearted, warmhearted, waterproof, watertight, weak, weatherly, whisper-soft, wifely, yeoman, yield, yielding, young, youthful