tender
noun
- offer made in writing by one party to another
- 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
- something that may be offered in payment, specifically : money
- light verb with 'offer' or 'bid', giving, offer, payment
noun
- tender cut of meat
- an often breaded strip of usually breast meat
- the tenderloin of a chicken
adjective
- gentle, loving
- inclined toward feeling pain easily
verb
- light verb with 'offer' or 'bid', giving, offer, payment
noun
- vehicle for carrying a steam locomotive's supply of fuel and water
- a ship employed to attend other ships (as to supply provisions)
- a boat for communication or transportation between shore and a larger ship
- a warship that provides logistic support
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈtɛn.dəː/ / [ˈtʰɛn.dəː] / /ˈtɛn.dɚ/
adj
Etymology: From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tender, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”).
- Sensitive or painful to the touch.
“[…]poore Lord, is't I That chaſe thee from thy Countrie, and expoſe Thoſe tender limbes of thine[…]”
“Be careful: that area is tender.”
- Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate.
“tender plants”
“tender flesh”
- Physically weak; not able to endure hardship.
“the tender and delicate woman among you”
- Soft and easily chewed.
“The Matrix is telling my brain this steak is tender, succulent, and juicy.”
- Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained.
“Our Bodies are not naturally more Tender than our Faces.”
- Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet.
“Suzanne was such a tender mother to her children.”
“You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies, Will never do him good.”
- Young and inexperienced.
“I first had a girlfriend at the tender age of seven.”
“And you of tender years can't know the fears that your elders grew by.”
- Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic.
“tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain”
“The lesser griefs that may be said, That breathe a thousand tender vows, Are but as servants in a house Where lies the master newly dead; […]”
- Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate.
“a tender subject”
“Things that are tender and unpleasing.”
- Heeling over too easily when under sail; said of a vessel.
- Exciting kind concern; dear; precious.
“I love Valentine, Whose life's as tender to me as my soul!”
- Careful to keep inviolate, or not to injure; used with of.
“tender of property”
“The civil authority should be tender of the honour of God and religion.”
adv
Etymology: From Middle English tender, tendur, tendir, tendre, from the adjective (see above).
- tenderly
“Love me tender, love me sweet Never let me go”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English tendren, from Old French tendre (“stretch out”).
- Anything which is offered, proffered, put forth or bid with the expectation of a response, answer, or reply.
“You offer me the sword of my father, the very man whose bones, because of your perfidy, lie under the sod of Crecy. Aye, I'll surely take it, and just as surely you shall die with your tender through your heart!”
“Ophe[lia]. He hath my Lord of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me. / Pol[onius]. Affection, puh, you ſpeake like a greene girle / Vnſifted in ſuch perrilous circumſtance, / Do you belieue his tenders as you call them? / Ophe. I doe not knovve my Lord vvhat I ſhould thinke. / Pol. Marry I vvill teach you, thinke your ſelfe a babie / That you haue tane [taken] theſe tenders for true pay / VVhich are not ſterling, tender your ſelfe more dearely […]”
- A means of payment such as a check or cheque, cash or credit card.
“Your credit card has been declined so you need to provide some other tender such as cash.”
“legal tender”
- A formal offer to buy or sell something.
“We will submit our tender to you within the week.”
- Any offer or proposal made for acceptance.
“[...] if she should make tender of her love, 'tis very possible he'll scorn it; for the man,—as you know all,—hath a contemptible spirit.”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English tendren, from Old French tendre (“stretch out”).
- To offer, to give.
“to tender one’s resignation”
“You see how all conditions, how all minds, […] tender down Their services to Lord Timon.”
- To offer a payment, as at sales or auctions; to bid.