ten·der
1 (tĕńdər)
[Middle English, from Old French tendre, from Latin tener.]
adjective: -er, -est.
- Easily crushed or bruised; fragile: a tender petal.
- Easily chewed or cut: tender beef.
- Young and vulnerable: of tender age.
- Frail; delicate.
- Sensitive to frost or severe cold; not hardy: tender green shoots.
- Easily hurt; sensitive: tender skin.
- Painful; sore: a tender tooth.
- Considerate and protective; solicitous: a tender mother; his tender concern.
- Characterized by or expressing gentle emotions; loving: a tender glance; a tender ballad.
- Given to sympathy or sentimentality; soft: a tender heart.
- Nautical Likely to heel easily under sail; crank.
transitive verb: -dered, -der·ing, -ders.
- To make tender.
- Archaic To treat with tender regard.
derivatives
- teńder·ly
- adverb
- teńder·ness
- noun
ten·der
2 (tĕńdər)
[From French tendre, to offer, from Old French, from Latin tendere, to hold forth, extend.]
noun
- A formal offer, as:
- Law An offer of money or service in payment of an obligation.
- A written offer to contract goods or services at a specified cost or rate; a bid.
- Something, especially money, offered in payment.
transitive verb: -dered, -der·ing, -ders.
- To offer formally: tender a letter of resignation. See synonyms at offer
derivatives
- teńder·er
- noun
tend·er
3 (tĕńdər)
noun
- One who tends something: a lathe tender.
- Nautical A vessel attendant on other vessels, especially one that ferries supplies between ship and shore.
- A railroad car attached to the rear of a locomotive and designed to carry fuel and water.
