Chapter CDLIII: Prologue (104)

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.

TEMPORAL Tem"po*ral, n.

Defn: Anything temporal or secular; a temporality; -- used chiefly in the plural. Dryden. He assigns supremacy to the pope in spirituals, and to the emperor or temporals. Lowell.

TEMPORALITY Tem`po*ral"i*ty, n.; pl. Temporalities. Etym: [L. temporalitas, in LL., 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.

TEMPORALLY Tem"po*ral*ly, adv.

Defn: In a temporal manner; secularly. [R.] South.

TEMPORALNESS Tem"po*ral*ness, n.

Defn: Worldliness. [R.] Cotgrave.

TEMPORALTY Tem"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.

TEMPORARILY Tem"po*ra*ri*ly, adv.

Defn: In a temporary manner; for a time.

TEMPORARINESS Tem"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 limited time; not permanent; as, the patient has obtained temporary relief. Temporary government of the city. Motley. Temporary star. (Astron.) See under Star.

TEMPORIST Tem"po*rist, n.

Defn: A temporizer. [Obs.] Why, turn a temporist, row with the tide. Marston.

TEMPORIZATION Tem`po*ri*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. temporisation.]

Defn: The act of temporizing. Johnson.

TEMPORIZE Tem"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.

TEMPORIZER Tem"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.

TEMPORIZINGLY Tem"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-AURICULAR Tem`po*ro-au*ric"u*lar, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple and the ear; as, the temporo-auricular nerve.

TEMPOROFACIAL Tem`po*ro*fa"cial, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple and the face.

TEMPOROMALAR Tem`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.

TEMPOROMAXILLARY Tem`po*ro*max"il*la*ry, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to both the temple or the temporal bone and the maxilla.

TEMPS Temps, n. Etym: [OF. & F., fr. L. tempus. See Temporal of time.]

Defn: Time. [Obs.] Chaucer.

TEMPSE Tempse, 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; to provoke; 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.

TEMPTABILITY Tempt`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being temptable; lability to temptation.

TEMPTABLE Tempt"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.

TEMPTATIONLESS Temp*ta"tion*less, a.

Defn: Having no temptation or motive; as, a temptationless sin. [R.] Hammond.

TEMPTATIOUS Temp*ta"tious, a.

Defn: Tempting. [Prov. Eng.]

TEMPTER Tempt"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.

TEMPTING Tempt"ing, a.

Defn: Adapted to entice or allure; attractive; alluring; seductive; enticing; as, tempting pleasures. -- Tempt"ing*ly, adv. -- Tempt"ing*ness, n.

TEMPTRESS Tempt"ress, n.

Defn: A woman who entices. She was my temptress, the foul provoker. Sir W. Scott.

TEMSE Temse, 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; TEMULENCY Tem"u*lence, Tem"u*len*cy, n. Etym: [L. temulentia.]

Defn: Intoxication; inebriation; drunkenness. [R.] "Their temulency." Jer. Taylor.

TEMULENT Tem"u*lent, a. Etym: [L. temulentus.]

Defn: Intoxicated; drunken. [R.]

TEMULENTIVE Tem"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 other like words. There 's proud modesty in merit, Averse from begging, and resolved to pay Ten times the gift it asks. Dryden.

TEN Ten, 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.

TENABILITY Ten`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being tenable; tenableness.

TENABLE Ten"a*ble, a. Etym: [F. tenable, fr. tenir to hold, L. tenere. See Thin, 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.

TENABLENESS Ten`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.

TENACIOUS Te*na"cious, a. Etym: [L. tenax, -acis, from tenere to hold. See Tenable, 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.

TENACITY Te*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.

TENACY Ten"a*cy, n. Etym: [L. tenacia obstinacy. See Tenacious.]

Defn: Tenaciousness; obstinacy. [Obs.] Barrow.

TENAILLE Te*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.

TENAILLON Te*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.

TENANT Ten"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.

TENANTABLE Ten"ant*a*ble, a.

Defn: Fit to be rented; in a condition suitable for a tenant. -- Ten"ant*a*ble*ness, n.

TENANTLESS Ten"ant*less, a.

Defn: Having no tenants; unoccupied; as, a tenantless mansion. Shak.

TENANTRY Ten"ant*ry, n.

1. The body of tenants; as, the tenantry of a manor or a kingdom.

2. Tenancy. [Obs.] Ridley.

TENANT SAW Ten"ant saw`.

Defn: See Tenon saw, under Tenon.

TENCH Tench, 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.

TEND Tend, v. t. Etym: [See Tender to offer.] (O. Eng. Law)

Defn: To make a tender of; to offer or tender. [Obs.]

TEND Tend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tended; p. pr. & vb. n. Tending.] Etym: [Aphetic form of attend. See Attend, Tend to move, and cf. Tender one that 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.

TEND Tend, 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.

TEND Tend, v. i. Etym: [F. tendre, L. tendere, tensum and tentum, to stretch, extend, direct one's course, tend; akin to Gr. tan. See Thin, 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 to worse. 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.

TENDANCE Tend"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.

TENDENCE Tend"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.

TENDER Tend"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.

TENDER Ten"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tendered; p. pr. & vb. n. Tendering.] Etym: [F. tendre to stretch, stretch out, reach, L. tendere. See Tend to 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.

TENDER Ten"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.

TENDER Ten"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.

TENDER Ten"der, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tendre.]

Defn: Regard; care; kind concern. [Obs.] Shak.

TENDER Ten"der, v. t.

Defn: 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.

TENDERFOOT Ten"der*foot`, n.

Defn: A delicate person; one not inured to the hardship and rudeness of pioneer life. [Slang, Western U.S.]

TENDER-HEARTED Ten"der-heart`ed, a.

Defn: Having great sensibility; susceptible of impressions or influence; 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-HEFTED Ten"der-heft`ed, a.

Defn: Having great tenderness; easily moved. [Obs.] Shak.

TENDERLING Ten"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.

TENDERLOIN Ten"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.

TENDERLY Ten"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.

TENDERNESS Ten"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.

TENDINOUS Ten"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.

TENDMENT Tend"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.

TENDONOUS Ten"don*ous, a.

Defn: Tendinous.

TENDOSYNOVITIS Ten`do*syn`o*vi"tis, n. Etym: [NL. See Tendon, and Synovitis.]

Defn: See Tenosynovitis.

TENDRAC Ten"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.

TENDRE Ten"dre, n. [F.]

Defn: Tender feeling or fondness; affection.

You poor friendless creatures are always having some foolish tendre. Thackeray.

TENDRESSE Ten*dresse", n. [F.]

Defn: Tender feeling; fondness. [Obs., except as a French word]

TENDRIL Ten"dril, n. Etym: [Shortened fr. OF. tendrillon, fr. F. tendre tender; 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.

TENDRIL Ten"dril, a.

Defn: Clasping; climbing as a tendril. [R.] Dyer.

TENDRILED; TENDRILLED Ten"driled, Ten"drilled, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Furnished with tendrils, or with such or so many, tendrils. "The thousand tendriled vine." Southey.

TENDRON Ten"dron, n. Etym: [F. Cf. Tendril.]

Defn: A tendril. [Obs.] Holland.

TENDRY Ten"dry, n.

Defn: A tender; an offer. [Obs.] Heylin.

TENE Tene, n. & v.

Defn: See 1st and 2d Teen. [Obs.]

TENEBRAE Ten"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.

TENEBRICOSE Te*neb"ri*cose`, a. Etym: [L. tenebricosus.]

Defn: Tenebrous; dark; gloomy. [Obs.]

TENEBRIFIC Ten`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.

TENEBRIFICOUS Ten`e*brif"ic*ous, a.

Defn: Tenebrific. Authors who are tenebrificous stars. Addison.

TENEBRIOUS Te*ne"bri*ous, a.

Defn: Tenebrous. Young.

TENEBROSE Ten"e*brose`, a.

Defn: Characterized by darkness or gloom; tenebrous.

TENEBROSITY Ten`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.

TENEMENT Ten"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.

TENEMENTAL Ten`e*men"tal, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a tenement; capable of being held by tenants. Blackstone.

TENEMENTARY Ten`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.

TENERAL Ten"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.

TENERIFFE Ten`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.

TENERITY Te*ner"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. teneritas. See Tender, a.]

Defn: Tenderness. [Obs.] Ainsworth.

TENESMIC Te*nes"mic, a. (Med.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to tenesmus; characterized by tenesmus.

TENESMUS Te*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.

TENET Ten"et, n. Etym: [L. tenet he holds, fr. tenere to hold. See Tenable.]

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.

TENFOLD Ten"fold`, a. & adv.

Defn: In tens; consisting of ten in one; ten times repeated. The grisly Terror . . . grew tenfold More dreadful and deform. Milton.

TENIA Te"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL.]

Defn: See Tænia.

TENIOID Te"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.

TENNE Ten`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.

TENNIS Ten"nis, n. Etym: [OE. tennes, tenies, tenyse; of uncertain origin, perhaps fr. F. tenez hold or take it, fr. tenir to hold (see Tenable).]

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.

TENNIS Ten"nis, v. t.

Defn: To drive backward and forward, as a ball in playing tennis. [R.] Spenser.

TENNO Ten*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.

TENNU Ten"nu, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The tapir.

TENNYSONIAN Ten`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'CLOCK Ten"-o'*clock`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant, the star-of-Bethlehem. See under Star.

TENON Ten"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.

TENON Ten"on, v. t.

Defn: To cut or fit for insertion into a mortise, as the end of a piece of timber.

TENONIAN Te*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.

TENONITIS Ten`o*ni"tis, n. [NL., Gr. te`nwn tendon + -itis.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of a tendon.

TENONITIS Ten`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.

TENORRHAPHY Te*nor"rha*phy, n. [Gr. te`nwn tendon + -rhaphy.] (Surg.)

Defn: Suture of a tendon.

TENOSITIS Ten`o*si"tis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. te`nwn tendon + -itis.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of a tendon.

TENOSYNOVITIS Ten`o*syn`o*vi"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. synovitis.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of the synovial sheath enveloping a tendon.

TENOTOME Ten"o*tome, n. (Surg.)

Defn: A slender knife for use in the operation of tenotomy.

TENOTOMY Te*not"o*my, n. Etym: [Gr. (Surg.)

Defn: The division of a tendon, or the act of dividing a tendon.

TENPENNY Ten"pen*ny, a.

Defn: Valued or sold at ten pence; as, a tenpenny cake. See 2d Penny, n.

TENPENNY Ten"pen*ny, a.

Defn: Denoting a size of nails. See 1st Penny.

TENPINS Ten"pins, n.

Defn: A game resembling ninepins, but played with ten pins. See Ninepins. [U. S.]

TEN-POUNDER Ten"-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.

TENSE Tense, n. Etym: [OF. tens, properly, time, F. temps time, tense. See Temporal 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, a tense fiber. The temples were sunk, her forehead was tense, and a fatal paleness was upon her. Goldsmith. -- Tense"ly, adv. -- Tense"ness, n.

TENSIBILITY Ten`si*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being tensible; tensility.

TENSIBLE Ten"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.

TENSILE Ten"sile, a. Etym: [See Tense, a.]

1. Of or pertaining to extension; as, tensile strength.

2. Capable of extension; ductile; tensible. Bacon.

TENSILED Ten"siled, a.

Defn: Made tensile. [R.]

TENSILITY Ten*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.

TENSION Ten"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.

5. A device for checking the delivery of the thread in a sewing machine, so as to give the stitch the required degree of tightness.

6. (Physics)

Defn: Expansive force; the force with which the particles of a body, as a gas, tend to recede from each other and occupy a larger space; elastic force; elasticity; as, the tension of vapor; the tension of air.

7. (Elec.)

Defn: The quality in consequence of which an electric charge tends to discharge itself, as into the air by a spark, or to pass from a body of greater to one of less electrical potential. It varies as the quantity of electricity upon a given area. Tension brace, or Tension member (Engin.), a brace or member designed to resist tension, or subjected to tension, in a structure. -- Tension rod (Engin.), an iron rod used as a tension member to strengthen timber or metal framework, roofs, or the like.

TENSIONED Ten"sioned, a.

Defn: Extended or drawn out; subjected to tension. "A highly tensioned string." Tyndall.

TENSITY Ten"si*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being tense, or strained to stiffness; tension; tenseness.

TENSIVE Ten"sive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. tensif. See Tense, a.]

Defn: Giving the sensation of tension, stiffness, or contraction. A tensive pain from distension of the parts. Floyer.

TENSOR Ten"sor, n. Etym: [NL. See Tension.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: A muscle that stretches a part, or renders it tense.

2. (Geom.)

Defn: The ratio of one vector to another in length, no regard being had to the direction of the two vectors; -- so called because considered as a stretching factor in changing one vector into another. See Versor.

TEN-STRIKE Ten"-strike`, n.

1. (Tenpins)

Defn: A knocking down of all ten pins at one delivery of the ball. [U. S.]

2. Any quick, decisive stroke or act. [Colloq. U.S.]

TENSURE Ten"sure, n. Etym: [L. tensura. See Tension.]

Defn: Tension. [Obs.] Bacon.

TENT Tent, n. Etym: [Sp. tinto, properly, deep-colored, fr. L. tinctus, p.p. of tingere to dye. See Tinge, and cf. Tint, Tinto.]

Defn: A kind of wine of a deep red color, chiefly from Galicia or Malaga in Spain; -- called also tent wine, and tinta.

TENT Tent, n. Etym: [Cf. Attent, n.]

1. Attention; regard, care. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Lydgate.

2. Intention; design. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

TENT Tent, v. t.

Defn: To attend to; to heed; hence, to guard; to hinder. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell.

TENT Tent, v. t. Etym: [OF. tenter. See Tempt.]

Defn: To probe or to search with a tent; to keep open with a tent; as, to tent a wound. Used also figuratively. I'll tent him to the quick. Shak.

TENT Tent, n. Etym: [F. tente. See Tent to probe.] (Surg.) (a) A roll of lint or linen, or a conical or cylindrical piece of sponge or other absorbent, used chiefly to dilate a natural canal, to keep open the orifice of a wound, or to absorb discharges. (b) A probe for searching a wound. The tent that searches To the bottom of the worst. Shak.

TENT Tent, n. Etym: [OE. tente, F. tente, LL. tenta, fr. L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See Tend to move, and cf. Tent a roll of lint.]

1. A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, -- used for sheltering persons from the weather, especially soldiers in camp. Within his tent, large as is a barn. Chaucer.

2. (Her.)

Defn: The representation of a tent used as a bearing. Tent bed, a high-post bedstead curtained with a tentlike canopy. -- Tent caterpillar (Zoöl.), any one of several species of gregarious caterpillars which construct on trees large silken webs into which they retreat when at rest. Some of the species are very destructive to fruit trees. The most common American species is the larva of a bombycid moth (Clisiocampa Americana). Called also lackery caterpillar, and webworm.

TENT Tent, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tented; p. pr. & vb. n. Tenting.]

Defn: To lodge as a tent; to tabernacle. Shak. We 're tenting to-night on the old camp ground. W. Kittredge.

TENTACLE Ten"ta*cle, n. Etym: [NL. tentaculum, from L. tentare to handle, feel: cf. F. tentacule. See Tempt.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A more or less elongated process or organ, simple or branched, proceeding from the head or cephalic region of invertebrate animals, being either an organ of sense, prehension, or motion. Tentacle sheath (Zoöl.), a sheathlike structure around the base of the tentacles of many mollusks.

TENTACLED Ten"ta*cled, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having tentacles.

TENTACULAR Ten*tac"u*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. tentaculaire.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a tentacle or tentacles.

TENTACULATA Ten*tac`u*la"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of Ctenophora including those which have two long tentacles.

TENTACULATE; TENTACULATED Ten*tac"u*late, Ten*tac"u*la`ted, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having tentacles, or organs like tentacles; tentacled.

TENTACULIFERA Ten`ta*cu*lif"e*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Suctoria, 1.

TENTACULIFEROUS Ten`ta*cu*lif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Tentaculum + -ferous.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Producing or bearing tentacles.

TENTACULIFORM Ten`ta*cu"li*form, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Shaped like a tentacle.

TENTACULITE Ten*tac"u*lite, n. (Paleon.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small, conical fossil shells found in Paleozoic rocks. They are supposed to be pteropods.

TENTACULOCYST Ten*tac"u*lo*cyst, n. Etym: [Tentaculum + cyst.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the auditory organs of certain medusæ; -- called also auditory tentacle.

TENTACULUM Ten*tac"u*lum, n.; pl. Tentacula. Etym: [NL. See Tentacle.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A tentacle.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: One of the stiff hairs situated about the mouth, or on the face, of many animals, and supposed to be tactile organs; a tactile hair.

TENTAGE Tent"age, n. Etym: [From Tent a pavilion.]

Defn: A collection of tents; an encampment. [Obs.] Drayton.

TENTATION Ten*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. tentatio: cf. F. tentation. See Temptation.]

1. Trial; temptation. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

2. (Mech.)

Defn: A mode of adjusting or operating by repeated trials or experiments. Knight.

TENTATIVE Ten*ta"tive, a. Etym: [L. tentare to try: cf. F. tentatif. See Tempt.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a trial or trials; essaying; experimental. "A slow, tentative manner." Carlyle. -- Ten*ta"tive*ly, adv.

TENTATIVE Ten*ta"tive, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tentative.]

Defn: An essay; a trial; an experiment. Berkley.

TENTED Tent"ed, a.

Defn: Covered with tents.

TENTER Ten"ter, n.

1. One who takes care of, or tends, machines in a factory; a kind of assistant foreman.

2. (Mach.)

Defn: A kind of governor.

TENTER Ten"ter, n. Etym: [OE. tenture, tentoure, OF. tenture a stretching, spreading, F. tenture hangings, tapestry, from L. tendere, tentum, to stretch. See Tend to move.]

Defn: A machine or frame for stretching cloth by means of hooks, called tenter-hooks, so that it may dry even and square. Tenter ground, a place where tenters are erected. -- Tenter-hook, a sharp, hooked nail used for fastening cloth on a tenter. -- To be on the tenters, or on the tenter-hooks, to be on the stretch; to be in distress, uneasiness, or suspense. Hudibras.

TENTER Ten"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tentered; p. pr. & vb. n. Tentering.]

Defn: To admit extension. Woolen cloth will tenter, linen scarcely. Bacon.

TENTER Ten"ter, v. t.

Defn: To hang or stretch on, or as on, tenters.

TENTFUL Tent"ful, n.; pl. Tentfuls (.

Defn: As much, or as many, as a tent will hold.

TENTH Tenth, a. Etym: [From Ten: cf. OE. tethe, AS. teó. See Ten, and cf. Tithe.]

1. Next in order after the ninth; coming after nine others.

2. Constituting or being one of ten equal parts into which anything is divided.

TENTH Tenth, n.

1. The next in order after the ninth; one coming after nine others.

2. The quotient of a unit divided by ten; one of ten equal parts into which anything is divided.

3. The tenth part of annual produce, income, increase, or the like; a tithe. Shak.

4. (Mus.)

Defn: The interval between any tone and the tone represented on the tenth degree of the staff above it, as between one of the scale and three of the octave above; the octave of the third.

5. pl. (Eng. Law) (a) A temporary aid issuing out of personal property, and granted to the king by Parliament; formerly, the real tenth part of all the movables belonging to the subject. (b) (Eccl. Law) The tenth part of the annual profit of every living in the kingdom, formerly paid to the pope, but afterward transferred to the crown. It now forms a part of the fund called Queen Anne's Bounty. Burrill.

TENTHLY Tenth"ly, adv.

Defn: In a tenth manner.

TENTHMETER; TENTHMETRE Tenth"me`ter, Tenth"me`tre, n. (Physics)

Defn: A unit for the measurement of many small lengths, such that 1010 of these units make one meter; the ten millionth part of a millimeter.

TENTHREDINIDES Ten`thre*din"i*des, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Hymneoptera comprising the sawflies.

TENTIF Ten"tif, a.

Defn: Attentive. [Obs.] Chaucer.

TENTIFLY Ten"tif*ly, adv.

Defn: Attentively. [Obs.] Chaucer.

TENTIGINOUS Ten*tig"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. tentigo, -inis, a tension, lecherousness, fr. tendere, tentum, to stretch.]

1. Stiff; stretched; strained. [Obs.] Johnson.

2. Lustful, or pertaining to lust. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

TENTMAKER Tent"mak`er, n.

Defn: One whose occupation it is to make tents. Acts xviii. 3.

TENTORIUM Ten*to"ri*um, n. Etym: [L., a tent.] (Anat.)

Defn: A fold of the dura mater which separates the cerebellum from the cerebrum and often incloses a process or plate of the skull called the bony tentorium.

TENTORY Tent"o*ry, n. Etym: [L. tentorium a tent.]

Defn: The awning or covering of a tent. [Obs.] Evelyn.

TENTWORT Tent"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of small fern, the wall rue. See under Wall.

TENUATE Ten"u*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tenuated; p. pr. & vb. n. Tenuating.] Etym: [L. tenuatus, p.p. of tenuare to make thin, fr. tenuis thin. See Tenuous.]

Defn: To make thin; to attenuate. [R.]

TENUIFOLIOUS Ten`u*i*fo"li*ous, a. Etym: [L. tenuis thin + folium a leaf.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having thin or narrow leaves.

TENUIOUS Te*nu"i*ous, a. Etym: [See Tenuous.]

Defn: Rare or subtile; tenuous; -- opposed to dense. [Obs.] Glanvill.

TENUIROSTER Ten`u*i*ros"ter, n.; pl. Tenuirosters. Etym: [NL., fr. L. tenuis thin + rostrum a beak.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Tenuirostres.

TENUIROSTRAL Ten`u*i*ros"tral, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Thin-billed; -- applied to birds with a slender bill, as the humming birds.

TENUIROSTRES Ten`u*i*ros"tres, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An artificial group of passerine birds having slender bills, as the humming birds.

TENUIS Ten"u*is, n.; pl. Tenues. Etym: [NL., fr. L. tenuis fine, thin. See Tenuous.] (Gr. Gram.)

Defn: One of the three surd mutes k, p, t; -- so called in relation to their respective middle letters, or medials, g, b, d, and their aspirates, x, f, th. The term is also applied to the corresponding letters and articulate elements in other languages.

TENUITY Te*nu"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. tenuitas, from tenuis thin: cf. F. ténuité. See Tenuous.]

1. The quality or state of being tenuous; thinness, applied to a broad substance; slenderness, applied to anything that is long; as, the tenuity of a leaf; the tenuity of a hair.

2. Rarily; rareness; thinness, as of a fluid; as, the tenuity of the air; the tenuity of the blood. Bacon.

3. Poverty; indigence. [Obs.] Eikon Basilike.

4. Refinement; delicacy.

TENUOUS Ten"u*ous, a. Etym: [L. tenuis thin. See Thin, and cf. Tenuis.]

1. Thin; slender; small; minute.

2. Rare; subtile; not dense; -- said of fluids.

Defn: Lacking substance, as a tenuous argument.

TENURE Ten"ure, n. Etym: [F. tenure, OF. teneure, fr. F. tenir to hold. See Tenable.]

1. The act or right of holding, as property, especially real estate. That the tenure of estates might rest on equity, the Indian title to lands was in all cases to be quieted. Bancroft.

2. (Eng. Law)

Defn: The manner of holding lands and tenements of a superior.

Note: Tenure is inseparable from the idea of property in land, according to the theory of the English law; and this idea of tenure pervades, to a considerable extent, the law of real property in the United States, where the title to land is essentially allodial, and almost all lands are held in fee simple, not of a superior, but the whole right and title to the property being vested in the owner. Tenure, in general, then, is the particular manner of holding real estate, as by exclusive title or ownership, by fee simple, by fee tail, by courtesy, in dower, by copyhold, by lease, at will, etc.

3. The consideration, condition, or service which the occupier of land gives to his lord or superior for the use of his land.

4. Manner of holding, in general; as, in absolute governments, men hold their rights by a precarious tenure. All that seems thine own, Held by the tenure of his will alone. Cowper. Tenure by fee alms. (Law) See Frankalmoigne.

TEOCALLI Te`o*cal"li, n.; pl. Teocallis. Etym: [Mexican.]

Defn: Literally, God's house; a temple, usually of pyramidal form, such as were built by the aborigines of Mexico, Yucatan, etc. And Aztec priests upon their teocallis Beat the wild war-drums made of serpent's skin. Longfellow.

TEOSINTE Te`o*sin"te, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A large grass (Euchlæna luxurians) closely related to maize. It is native of Mexico and Central America, but is now cultivated for fodder in the Southern United States and in many warm countries. Called also Guatemala grass.

TEPAL Tep"al, n. Etym: [F. tépale, fr. pétale, by transposition.] (Bot.)

Defn: A division of a perianth. [R.]

TEPEE Tep*ee", n.

Defn: An Indian wigwam or tent.

TEPEFACTION Tep`e*fac"tion, n.

Defn: Act of tepefying.

TEPEFY Tep"e*fy, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Tepefied; p. pr. & vb. n. Tepefying.] Etym: [L. tepere to be tepid + -fy; cf. L. tepefacere. See Tepid.]

Defn: To make or become tepid, or moderately warm. Goldsmith.

TEPHRAMANCY Teph"ra*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -mancy.]

Defn: Divination by the ashes of the altar on which a victim had been consumed in sacrifice.

TEPHRITE Teph"rite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Geol.)

Defn: An igneous rock consisting essentially of plagioclase and either leucite or nephelite, or both.

TEPHROITE Teph"ro*ite, n. Etym: [See Tephrosia.] (Min.)

Defn: A silicate of manganese of an ash-gray color.

TEPHROSIA Te*phro"si*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of leguminous shrubby plants and herbs, mostly found in tropical countries, a few herbaceous species being North American. The foliage is often ashy-pubescent, whence the name.

Note: The Tephrosia toxicaria is used in the West Indies and in Polynesia for stupefying fish. T. purpurea is used medicinally in the East Indies. T. Virginia is the goat's rue of the United States.

TEPID Tep"id, a. Etym: [L. tepidus, fr. tepere to be warm; akin to Skr. tap to be warm, tapas heat.]

Defn: Moderately warm; lukewarm; as, a tepid bath; tepid rays; tepid vapors. -- Tep"id*ness, n.

TEPIDITY Te*pid"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tépidité.]

Defn: The quality or state of being tepid; moderate warmth; lukewarmness; tepidness. Jer. Taylor.

TEPOR Te"por, n. Etym: [L., fr. tepere to be tepid.]

Defn: Gentle heat; moderate warmth; tepidness. Arbuthnot.

TEQUILA Te*qui"la, n.

Defn: An intoxicating liquor made from the maguey in the district of Tequila, Mexico.

TER- Ter-.

Defn: A combining form from L. ter signifying three times, thrice. See Tri-, 2.

TERACONIC Ter`a*con"ic, a. Etym: [Terebic + citraconic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained by the distillation of terebic acid, and homologous with citraconic acid.

TERACRYLIC Ter`a*cryl"ic, a. Etym: [Terpene + acrylic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid of the acrylic series, obtained by the distillation of terpenylic acid, as an only substance having a peculiar cheesy odor.

TERAPH Ter"aph, n.; pl. Teraphs (.

Defn: See Teraphim.

TERAPHIM Ter"a*phim, n. pl. Etym: [Heb. teraphim.]

Defn: Images connected with the magical rites used by those Israelites who added corrupt practices to the patriarchal religion. Teraphim were consulted by the Israelites for oracular answers. Dr. W. Smith (Bib. Dict.).

TERAPIN Ter"a*pin, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Terrapin.

TERATICAL Te*rat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Wonderful; ominous; prodigious. [Obs.] Wollaston.

TERATOGENY Ter`a*tog"e*ny, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)

Defn: The formation of monsters.

TERATOID Ter"a*toid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.]

Defn: Resembling a monster; abnormal; of a pathological growth, exceedingly complex or highly organized. S. D. Gross.

TERATOLOGICAL Ter`a*to*log"ic*al, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to teratology; as, teratological changes.

TERATOLOGY Ter`a*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. Gr. tératologie.]

1. That branch of biological science which treats of monstrosities, malformations, or deviations from the normal type of structure, either in plants or animals.

2. Affectation of sublimity; bombast. [Obs.] Bailey.

TERATOMA Ter`a*to"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -oma.] (Med.)

Defn: A tumor, sometimes found in newborn children, which is made up of a heterigenous mixture of tissues, as of bone, cartilage and muscle.