▪ I. tender, n.1
(ˈtɛndə(r))
Also 5 -our.
[f. tend v.1 + -er1, or aphetic form of attender.]
1. † One who tends, or waits upon, another; an attendant, nurse, ministrant (obs.); a waiter; an assistant to a builder or other skilled workman (dial.).
| c 1470 Henryson Orpheus & Eur. 20 The anseane and sad wyse men of age Wer tendouris to ȝung and Insolent, To mak þame in all vertewis excellent. 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 139 Two hundred horsemen in Moscouie, require three hundred packehorses, and so many tenders, who must all be fedde. 1637 Brian Pisse-Proph. iii. (1679) 25 Some nurse or tender of sick persons. 1683 Tryon Way to Health 285 As Waiters, Tenders or Servitors to execute and obey the Commands of the Spirit of the Lord. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Tender, a waiter at a public table, or place of entertainment. c 1830 Glouc. Farm Rep. 11 in Libr. Usef. Knowl., Husb. III, On the other rick there are one or two builders, with a sufficiency of tenders to carry on the work with expedition and efficiency. 1880 W. Cornw. Gloss., Tendar, a waiter at an inn; the guard of a train. |
2. One who attends to, or has charge of, a machine, a business, etc., as
bar-tender (a barman),
bridge-tender,
machine-tender; now
esp. U.S.| 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 671 That the engine tender may not be at a loss when to throw his machinery into geer. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits vi. 107 The machines..prove too much for their tenders. 1883 Daily News 16 Oct 6/2 The bar tender [in U.S.]..demanded payment. 1897 Rhoscomyl White Rose Arno 94 ‘Show thy brass then’, said the bridge-tender. 1910 Times 18 May 10/2 Dissatisfaction among the power-loom tenders at their scale of pay... The wages of the tenders..were increased to 35s. |
3. A ship or boat employed to attend a larger one in various capacities.
a. Originally, A vessel commissioned to attend men-of-war, chiefly for supplying provisions and munitions of war, also for conveying intelligence, dispatches, etc. Subsequently, in the British Royal Navy, A vessel commissioned to act (in any capacity) under the orders of another vessel, her officers and crew being borne on the ship's books of the latter (called the parent ship).
‘In current use the term includes torpedo-boats and torpedo-boat destroyers. All the ‘destroyers’ of a flotilla are technically tenders of the depôt-ship, although this exists merely in order to carry stores for them, and the necessary staff for doing their clerical work’
N.E.D.
| 1675 Lond. Gaz. No. 1054/2 Here are arrived five Dutch Men of War, and four Tenders. 1710 Ibid. No. 4677/3 Yesterday..came down hither her Majesty's Ship the Lyme, with the Star-Bomb and her Tender. 1732 T. Lediard Sethos II. ix. 291 The greater seem'd only to be the retinue or tenders upon the less. 1772 Hist. Rochester 18 A tender in the river..employed in pressing seamen. 1812 Shelley Let. to Miss Hitchener 10 Mar., A Magistrate..gave him the alternative of the tender or of military servitude. 1898 Whitaker's Almanack 223/1 Cockchafer, 2nd cl. gunboat..tender to Rodney [1st cl. battle-ship, used as coastguard] Queensferry N.B. 1906 King's Regul. & Admiralty Instr. Art. 1802 §2 The Officer in charge of stores in the parent ship is to be responsible, and is to account for stores supplied to the tender. 1910 Naval & Mil. Rec. 21 Sept., The Wear, destroyer,..recommissioned..for service in the third (Nore) Destroyer flotilla as tender to the St. George. |
b. In general use, A small ship used to carry passengers, luggage, mails, goods, stores, etc., to or from a larger vessel (usually a liner),
esp. when not otherwise accessible from shore. Also, in
U.S., a boat or ship attending on fishing or whaling ships, to carry supplies to them, and to bring the fish, oil, or whalebone, to the ports or landing-places.
| 1853 Kane Grinnell Exp. xxi. (1856) 162 It was wisely determined by..old Sir John that he would leave the Mary, his tender of twelve tons. 1868 Daily News 20 July, As the tender was puffing out to us in Queenstown Harbour. 1887 J. Ball Nat. in S. Amer. 28 To go on board a small tender that lay alongside of a half-ruined wharf. 1910 Agnes Weston Life among Bluejackets 54 We waited at the Royal Hotel, Plymouth, for the signal that the tender would shortly put off. |
c. fig.| 1700 Congreve Way of World ii. v, Here she comes, i' faith, full sail, with..a shoal of fools for tenders. 1865 Even. Standard 6 June, [A weekly newspaper] a tender to this peculating concern..conducted upon the same principle, or with the same lack of principle. 1889 Daily News 27 Dec. 2/3 They are jolly tars and..have a couple of smart-looking tenders [sweethearts] in tow. |
4. A carriage specially constructed to carry fuel and water for a locomotive engine, to the rear of which it is attached.
| 1825 Maclaren Railways 32 note, A small waggon bearing water and coals follows close behind the engine, and is called the Tender, i.e. the ‘Attender’. 1878 F. S. Williams Midl. Railw. 662 The tender will hold 2320 gallons of water, it has a coal space for 4 tons. |
| attrib. 1838 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 134/1 The same apparatus may be attached to the tender axles. 1894 Westm. Gaz. 6 Feb. 7/2 In the outrush of water from the tender tank. 1897 Daily News 1 Sept. 2/2 He applied the vacuum brake and the fireman the tender brake, but could not stop the engine. |
5. In specific technical uses: see
quots.| 1877 Knight Dict. Mech., Tender..a small reservoir attached to a mop, scrubber, or similar utensil. 1894 Northumbld. Gloss., Tender, in a pit, the former name for a small rapper or signal rope. |
▪ II. tender, n.2 (
ˈtɛndə(r))
Also 6
tendre,
tendour.
[f. tender v.1] An act of tendering.
1. Law.
a. A formal offer duly made by one party to another.
tender of amends, an offer of compensation by the delinquent party.
tender of issue, a plea which in effect invites the adverse party to join issue upon it.
| 1562–3 Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 §17 All suche persons shalbee compellable to take the Othe upon the seconde Tender or Offer of the same. 1647 Hammond Power of Keys iv. 60 This magisteriall affirmation having no tender or offer of proof annext to it. 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. i. 15 If tender of amends is made before any action is brought. 1848 Wharton Law Lex. s.v., A tender of satisfaction is allowed to be made in most actions for money demands,..and a tender to one of several joint creditors is sufficient. 1872 Ibid. s.v. Amends, Tender of Amends, is by particular statutes made a defence in an action for a wrong. |
b. spec. An offer of money, or the like, in discharge of a debt or liability,
esp. an offer which thus fulfils the terms of the law and of the liability.
plea of tender, a plea advanced by a defendant that he has always been ready to pay and has tendered to the plaintiff the amount due, which he now produces in court.
| 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 2 §2 The same Collectour..as shall so make tendre of all suche money. 1544 tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 70 Where such lawefull tender of the money is made. 1817 W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 966 The defendant pleaded non-assumpsit as to all except 3l., and as to that a tender. 1863 A. J. Horwood Yearbks. 30 & 31 Edw. I, Pref. 26 note, The reason for the tender of the demy-mark in a writ of right. 1883 Wharton's Law Lex. s.v., By the Coinage Act, 1870.., it is provided that a tender of payment of money, if made in coins legally issued by the Mint..shall be a legal tender. |
2. gen. An offer of anything for acceptance.
| 1577 Harrison England Pref., I dare presume to make tendour of the protection thereof vnto your Lordships hands. 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. iii. 100 O. He hath my Lord of late made many tenders Of his affection to me. P... Doe you beleeue his tenders, as you call them? 1761–2 Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxxi. 286 [He] made a tender of his sword and purse to the prince of Orange. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xiii. III. 287 They had not yet been put into possession of the royal authority by a formal tender and a formal acceptance. 1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus l. 6 Tenders jocular o'er the merry wine-cup. |
3. Comm. a. An offer made in writing by one party to another (usually to a public body) to execute, at an exclusive price or uniform rate, an order for the supply or purchase of goods, or for the execution of work, the details of which have been submitted, often through the public press, by the second party.
| 1666 Pepys Diary 14 July, The business of Captain Cocke's tender of hempe. 1691 Lond. Gaz. No. 2636/3 The Principal Officers and Commissioners of Their Majesties Navy,..will..be ready to receive any Tenders.., and to Treat and Contract with the Tenderers thereof. 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour I. 291/2 The privilege..is disposed of by tender. 1868 Rogers Pol. Econ. xxiii. (1876) 312 The Government..may fix the sum and invite tenders for the lowest amount of interest at which borrowers will be willing to make the loan. 1882 Statist X. 485 The lowest tender was accepted. |
b. tender offer (
U.S.) (see
quot. 1979),
usu. for the purpose of obtaining effective control.
| 1964 J. Low Investor's Dict. 198 In general when an outside interest makes a tender offer the market price rises close to the tender price. 1979 Yale Law Jrnl. LXXXVIII. 510 A tender offer is conventionally defined as a public solicitation of the shareholders of a corporation to tender their shares to the offeror at a specified price. |
4. (
esp. legal tender,
lawful tender, or
common tender.) Money or other things that may be legally tendered or offered in payment; currency prescribed by law as that in which payment may be made.
In the United Kingdom, Bank of England notes are legal tender up to any amount throughout the country; fifty-pence coins are legal tender for sums not exceeding {pstlg}10; other current cupro-nickel coins for sums not exceeding {pstlg}5; and current bronze coins for sums not exceeding twenty pence (1988).
| 1740 W. Douglass Disc. Curr. Brit. Plant. Amer. 20 France never made their State Bills a common Tender. 1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. I. i. 27 Indian corn..was made a tender in discharge of all debt. 1777 Jrnls. Amer. Congress 14 June, Recommended..to pass laws to make the bills of credit, issued by the Congress, a lawful tender, in payments of public and private debts. 1838–42 Arnold Hist. Rome II. xxvii. 73 Land and cattle became legal tender at a certain fixed rate of value. 1866 Crump Banking iv. 95 A cheque is not a legal tender, and for that reason may be objected to. 1883 Gilmour Mongols xxxii. 369 In Urga, brick tea and silver are the common tenders. |
▪ III. tender, a. (adv.) and n.3 (
ˈtɛndə(r))
Forms: 3–6
tendre, 4–
tender; also 4
teyndir, 4–5
tendyr,
-ere, 4–6 (chiefly
Sc.)
-ir, 5
-ire,
-ur(e.
[a. F. tendre (11th c.) = Pr. tenre, tendre, Sp. tierno, Pg. tenro, It. tenero:—L. tener-um (nom. tener) tender, delicate.] A. adj. I. Literal and physical senses.
1. a. Soft or delicate in texture or consistence; yielding easily to force or pressure; fragile; easily broken, divided, compressed, or injured; of food, easily masticated, succulent.
† tender bread, newly baked bread (
obs.).
Formerly (and still
dial.) used in wide sense as a synonym of
soft (
e.g. of stone or coal).
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 114 Vor his fleschs was al cwic ase is þe tendre eien. a 1300 Cursor M. 18844 (Cott.) Forked fair þe chin he bare And tender berd wit mikel hare. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 630 A calf..Þat watz tender & not toȝe. 13.. Coer de L. 3413 Eet theroff..As it wer a tendyr chycke. c 1400 Mandeville xxxiii. 150 Þe tendre erthe was remowed fra his place and þare become a valay, and þe hard erthe habade still. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 247 Tendyr brede makyd of the floure of Whete. a 1500 Sir Beues 2529 (Pynson) Beuys..hyt the dragon vnder the wynge,..There was he tender wythout skale. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 26 The Skout..being sodin,..is maist tendir. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 186 Their bones being yet tender, soft, and cartilaginious. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 501 The tender Grass, and budding Flower. 1787 Best Angling (ed. 2) 39 He bites very freely, but is often lost when struck, his mouth being very tender. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §272 Moorstone..being a tender kind of stone in respect to the union of its component parts. 1832 Lyell Princ. Geol. II. 281 Many tender and fragile shells. 1881 Binns Guide Worc. Porcelain Wks. (1883) 24 The ware up to this point..is most tender, and can only be handled with the greatest care. |
| fig. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 946, I haue..a soule for to kepe..and also myn honour And of my wyfhod, thilke tendre flour. 1709 Steele & Swift Tatler No. 67 ¶12 There is Nothing of so tender a Nature as the Reputation and Conduct of Ladies. |
b. Of the ground: Soft with moisture; easily giving way beneath the feet; ‘rotten’.
dial.| 1727 D. Eaton Let. 25 Mar. (1971) 105 He has carted at a very unseasonable time when the ground was tender. 1789 Trans. Soc. Arts VII. 68 Some of the lands are so tender, that a board or patten..is fixed to each foot of every horse. 1904 Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. (Warwick), Behand Spetchley the roads was very tender. |
c. tender porcelain: soft porcelain; see
quots.| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 1021 There are two species of porcelain..; the one is called hard, and the other tender. Ibid. 1022 Tender porcelain, styled also vitreous porcelain..always consists of a vitreous frit, rendered opaque and less fusible by the addition of a calcareous and marly clay. 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., Tender porcelain, a soft body porcelain made in Europe. |
† 2. Frail, thin, fine, slender.
Obs. rare.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 52 The happes over mannes hed Ben honged with a tendre thred. 1703 Moxon Mech. Exerc. 208 That..it draw not the thin and tender Blade of the Hook into it. |
II. Transferred from I.
3. a. Of weak or delicate constitution; not strong, hardy, or robust; unable or unaccustomed to endure hardship, fatigue, or the like; delicately reared, effeminate.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 112 Godes fleschs..þet was inumen of þe tendre meldene. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6441 Non byleued nere, Bote is tueye ȝonge sones, þat so feble & tendre were. 1340 Ayenb. 31 Þou ne miȝt naȝt do þe greate penonces. Þou art to tendre. 1382 Wyclif Deut. xxviii. 56 A tendre womman and a delicate. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop v. x, I shalle not ete the, For thow sholdest hurte my tendre stomak. 1535 Coverdale Susanna 31 Now Susanna was a tender person, and maruelous fayre of face. 1552 Huloet, Tender man not able to indure hardnes, effæminatus. a 1627 Middleton More Dissemblers iii. i, A tender, puling, nice, chitty-fac'd squal 'tis. 1859 Tennyson Enid 395 To stoop and kiss the tender little thumb, That crost the trencher as she laid it down. |
b. Of animals or plants: Delicate, easily injured by severe weather or unfavourable conditions; not hardy; needing protection.
tender annual, an annual plant needing the protection of a greenhouse all through its life;
cf. hardy annual s.v. hardy a. 4 b;
tender plant (
fig.), something needing careful nurture if it is to survive and develop.
| 1614 Markham Cheap Husb. vii. xvii. (1668) 121 Turkies when they are young are very tender to bring up. 1657 Austen Fruit Trees i. 56 The May-Cherries are tender, the Trees must be set in a warm place. 1769 Rutter & Carter Mod. Eden ii. iv. 218 (heading) Of raising tender annuals on hot-beds. 1791 E. Darwin Bot. Gard. i. Note xiv. 27 The bulbs..are found in the perennial herbaceous plants which are too tender to bear the cold of the winter. 1796 C. Marshall Garden. xii. (1813) 161 Fig trees will mostly survive hard winters, when in standards,..though shoots trained to a wall are tenderer. 1822 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening 1070 The green-house is now filled with tender annuals. 1867 T. Bridgeman Amer. Gardener's Assistant iii. 21 Varieties from warm climates..may with great propriety be treated as tender annuals, by sowing the seed every spring. 1933 Discovery Mar. 76/2 The runner bean..of Mexican parentage or origin is here grown as a tender annual. 1969 Times 10 Mar. 10/7 These capital sources are conditioned by..the confidence felt in the future profitability of agriculture. That confidence is, at present, rather a tender plant. 1974 J. Warren Macself's Amat. Greenhouse (ed. 5) viii. 238 The tender annuals of all kinds should be sown in spring rather than autumn. 1978 U.S. News & World Rep. 12 June 56/1 Academic and cultural freedom is a very tender plant, which this country has nurtured very effectively. |
c. dial. In delicate health, weakly, frail.
| 1645 R. Baillie Let. to G. Young 8 July, Mr. Henderson is much tenderer than he wont. 1747 Wesley Prim. Physic (1762) p. xviii, Tender People should have those..who are much about them sound and healthy. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. v, I had been tender a' the simmer, and scarce ower the door o' my room for twal weeks. 1864 Ld. Houghton Let. in Life (1891) II. 124 It keeps me rather ‘tender’ and nervous. |
4. Having the weakness and delicacy of youth; not strengthened by age or experience; youthful, immature. Chiefly in phrases
tender age,
tender years (also
† tender of age).
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 252 He was tendre & ȝing. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 412, I watz ful ȝong & tender of age. 1454 Rolls of Parlt. V. 242/1 An Acte made in the tendre age of the Kyng. 1539 Bible (Great) Gen. xxxiii. 13 My Lorde, Thou knowest, that the chyldren are tendre. 1563 Homilies ii. Sacrament ii. (1859) 449 The true Christians in the tender time of Christ's Church called this Supper Love. 1586 Let. Earle Leycester 8 Infected with Poperie from her tender youth. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 250 He departed this life in his tender yeares. 1732 Berkeley Alciphr. i. §5 Early instruction instilled into our tender minds. 1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xix. §3 (1862) 332 The great evil of imprisoning boys and girls of a tender age. |
5. In reference to colour or light (rarely, sound): Of fine or delicate quality or nature; soft, subdued; not deep, strong, or glaring.
| 1503 Dunbar Thistle & Rose 50 The purpour sone, with tendir bemys reid. c 1694 Prior Celia to Damon 67 The tender accents of a woman's cry Will pass unheard. 1754 Gray Pleasure 8 April..Scatters his freshest, tenderest green. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms i. 19 A zone of dim and tender light. 1894 Fenn In Alpine Valley I. 42 The tender green of the young ferns. |
6. Of things immaterial, subjects, topics, etc.: Easy to be injured by tactless treatment; needing cautious or delicate handling; delicate, ticklish.
| 1625 Bacon Ess., Cunning (Arb.) 437 In Things, that are tender and vnpleasing, it is good to breake the Ice, by some whose Words are of lesse weight. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. vi. (1739) 14 The times were too tender to endure them to be declarative on either part. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 325 They considered not..upon what tender and ticklish terms their navigation stood. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xi, Fearful of touching upon a topic too tender to be tampered with. |
III. Tender toward or in regard to others.
7. a. Of an action or instrument: Not forcible or rough; gentle, soft; acting or touching gently.
| 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 952 In tendere touchinge of þing & tastinge of swete. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 353 Her other tender hand his faire cheeke feeles: His tendrer cheeke, receiues her soft hands print. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. i, I presse you softly with a tender foote. a 1628 Preston Breastpl. Faith (1630) 128 The smoking Flax, he did blow with a tender breath to kindle it more, hee dealt not roughly with it. 1833 Coleridge Table-t. 30 Aug., The more exquisite and delicate a flower of joy, the tenderer must be the hand that plucks it. |
† b. Easy; not ‘hard’ or difficult.
Obs. rare—1.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2436 How tender hit is to entyse teches of fylþe. |
8. a. Of persons, their feelings, or the expression of these: Characterized by, exhibiting, or expressing delicacy of feeling or susceptibility to the gentle emotions; kind, loving, gentle, mild, affectionate.
tender loving care (
colloq.), especially solicitous care such as is given by nurses; also
transf.;
tender mercies (
occas. tender mercy) a Biblical phrase
usu. used
ironically (
perh. with
spec. allusion to
quot. 1611) of attention, care, or treatment thought unlikely to be in the best interests of its object;
the tender passion or
tender sentiment, sexual love.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 24245 (Cott.) Mi suet moder, tender of hert. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints vi. (Thomas) 444 Synciane, þat wes vorthy, & tendir frende to mygdony. c 1420 Brut 346 He kept þat office but iiij wokis, because he was so tendir and gentill vn-to þe cetezens of London. 1534 More Treat. Passion Wks. 1273/1 The wily wrech perceiued..the tender mynde that the man had to hys make. 1535 Coverdale Ps. xxiv. [xxv.] 6 Call to remembrance, O Lorde, thy tender mercies & thy louing kindnesses. 1576 in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 416 In tendre consideracion wherof may yt please your honour. 1611 Bible Prov. xii. 10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruell. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. p. cxxiii, Seamen..are entituled to a more tender Protection from the Crown than other Subjects are. 1775 Sheridan Duenna i. iii, I delight in the tender passions. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxxvii, His little sisters, in whose welfare she still took the tenderest interest. 1867 Athenæum 20 July 77/2 The rivalry of the class-room is unfavourable to the tender sentiment. 1893 [see mercy n. 5 c]. 1906 Conrad Mirror of Sea xxxiii. 182 A ship anchored..is not abandoned by her own men to the tender mercies of shore people. 1925 Galsworthy Caravan 575 His feelings revolted against handing ‘that poor little beggar’ over to the tender mercy of his country's law. 1960, etc. [see TLC s.v. T 6 a]. 1965 Listener 17 June 892/2 Smaller..traders and manufacturers..left to the tender mercies of the open property market. 1973 Computers & Humanities VII. 166 The Bernard Quemada Concordance to Les Fleurs du Mal, which was perhaps prepared with more tender loving care, corrected such mechanical deficiencies. 1977 Listener 12 May 605/3 It is in a nurse's nature and in her tradition to give the sick what is well called ‘TLC’, ‘tender loving care’, some constant little service to the sick. |
† b. transf. That is the object of tender feeling; tenderly loved; dear, beloved, precious.
Obs.| c 1450 Holland Howlat 439 As his tenderest and deir In his maist misteir. 1485 Sc. Acts Jas. III (1814) II. 171/1 His hienes has diuers tymez..maid supplicacioun..for þe promocioun of his tendir clerk & consalour. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. v. iv. 37 How I loue Valentine, Whose life's as tender to me as my soule. 1611 Bible Prov. iv. 3 Tender and onely beloued in the sight of my mother [Coverd. tenderly beloved of my mother]. |
† c. Sc. Nearly related, akin;
esp. in phrase
tender of blood.
Obs.| 1508 Dunbar Poems vii. 15 Welcum our tendir blude of hie parage. 1565 Q. Mary in Keith Hist. (1734) App. 103 Lady Margaret Countes of Lennox, being alswa sa tendir of Blude to hir Majestie. 1630–56 Sir R. Gordon Hist. Earls Sutherland (1813) 125 One who wes so tender of kinred and blood to him. |
9. a. tender of (
tender for,
tender on behalf of, etc.): Careful of the welfare of; careful to preserve from harm or injury; considerate of, thoughtful for; fond of.
| c 1305 St. Kenelm 136 in E.E.P. (1862) 51 His norice..Tendre was of þis child, for heo him hadde deorest iboȝt. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 905 Whar-to þan es man..Swa tendre of his vile body? a 1400–50 Alexander 3317 Be tendire of my kniȝtis. 1551 T. Wilson Logike (1580) 33 Then should all Capitaines..be tender ouer their poore warriours and base Soldiours. 1605 Bacon Adv. Learn. i. iii. §10 Some person, tender on the behalf of philosophy, reproved Aristippus. 1642 Declar. Lords & Com. in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1721) V. 45 The Priviledges of Parliament, which the Contrivers..seem to be so tender of. 1709 Swift Vind. Bickerstaff ¶1, I am too tender of his reputation to publish them. 1783 Burke Affairs India Wks. XI. 334 Mr. Barwell..ought to have been tender for his honour. 1868 Rogers Pol. Econ. xvii. (1876) 240 So tender is the legislature of his interest. |
b. Solicitous or careful to avoid or prevent something; chary
of; scrupulous, cautious, circumspect; reluctant, loth. Const.
of,
in.
| 1651 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. ii. xxvii. (1739) 120 He was tender of the least diminution of his Honour. 1656 Sir J. Finett For. Ambass. 41, I was tender in taking any course without his Lordship's directions. 1667 Pepys Diary 28 Oct., I confess, I am sorry to find him so tender of appearing. 1729 Law Serious C. xxiii. (1732) 478 Very tender in censuring and condemning other people. 1840 Lady C. Bury Hist. Flirt xix, Her heart should be tender of ridiculing their suffering. |
IV. Easily affected, sensitive.
10. Sensitive to, or easily affected by, external physical forces or impressions;
spec. † a. Having a delicate or finely sensitive perception of smell.
| c 1410, 1700 [see tender-nosed in C.]. 1445 tr. Claudian in Anglia XXVIII. 277 As blode houndys with her tendir nose tel thingis or thei appiere. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 695 Looke as the full-fed Hound, or gorged Hawke, Vnapt for tender smell, or speedie flight. |
b. Sensitive in relation to bodily feeling or touch.
| c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. cxli. 6, I doe not loue thee with mine eyes... Nor are mine eares with thy toungs tune delighted, Nor tender feeling to base touches prone. 1715 Desaguliers Fires Impr. 43 The difference between the Action of Cold Air upon animate and tender, or inanimate and insensible Bodies. |
c. spec. Acutely sensitive to pain; painful when touched; easily hurt.
| [1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. ii. 144 But Conscience, Conscience; O 'tis a tender place, and I must leaue her.] 1709 [implied in tenderness 3]. 1799 Med. Jrnl. I. 159 The tumor being hard, and very tender. 1898 Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 749 The skin over the pericardium was tender and sensitive. |
† d. Of scales for weighing: Delicate, sensitive.
| 1665–6 Phil. Trans. I. 232 If I had had..tender Scales. |
e. Of a ship: Leaning over too easily under sail-pressure; crank, not ‘stiff’.
| 1722 De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 190 The ship..was leaky and tender. 1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World 5, I told them, ‘if the ship was tender, it was caus'd by her being pester'd so much aloft’. 1823 Scoresby Jrnl. Whale Fish. 293 We found the ship so tender (yielding greatly to the influence of the wind), that we could scarcely carry sail. 1899 F. T. Bullen Log Sea-waif 201 We..slid gently down the coast under easy sail, the vessel being ‘tender’ from scanty allowance of ballast. |
f. Of a horse:
to go tender, to go as if lame or sore-footed and unable to put down his foot freely.
| 1849 Lever R. Cashel II. 269, I defy any one to know whether a horse goes tender, while galloping in deep ground. |
11. a. Susceptible to moral or spiritual influence; impressionable, sympathetic; sensitive to pious emotions. Now chiefly in phrase ‘tender conscience’; formerly also of persons.
| c 1586 L. Bryskett Mourn. Muse Thestylis 55 Your teares a hart of flint Might tender make. [1613: see sense 10 c.] 1655 Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. vi. §21 The sight of him made all tender Beholders Cripples by Sympathie. 1660 Chas. II Declar. fr. Breda, We do declare a Liberty to tender Consciences. 1672 G. Fox Jrnl., The people being generally tender and open. 1685 Evelyn Mrs. Godolphin 46, I found her.. all in feares, for never was Creature more devout and tender. 1728 P. Walker Peden Pref. (1827) 23 Which have made so many tender Christians to scruple and scunner to take the Food of their Souls out of their unclean Hands. 1788 Wesley Wks. (1872) VII. 191 One of a tender conscience is exact in observing any deviation from the word of God, whether in thought, or word, or work. 1844 Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xvi. (1862) 250 The form of words used, out of regard to tender consciences. |
† b. as
adv. Tenderly, impressionably.
Obs.| 1424 Coventry Leet Bk. 96 That causyd the people the more & tenderer to her his prechyng. |
12. Sensitive to injury; ready to take offence; ‘touchy’.
Obs. exc. as
fig. from 10 c.
| a 1635 Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 46 On such trespasses she was quick and tender, and would not spare any whatsoever. 1645 Fuller Good Th. in Bad T. (1841) 3, I am choleric by my nature and tender by my temper. 1749 Chesterfield Lett. (1792) II. 300 Men are in this respect tender too, and will sooner forgive an injury than an insult. 1857 Buckle Civiliz. I. x. 613 The nobles, however, who felt that they had been aggrieved in their most tender point, were not yet satisfied. |
† 13. transf. Sensitively felt; that touches sensitive feelings or emotions.
Obs.| 1705 Stanhope Paraphr. I. 115 Which cannot but..make the Sense of present Sufferings more tender and afflicting. 1779 Mirror No. 1 (1787) I. 5 A misfortune of the tenderest kind threw me, for some time, into retirement. |
B. n. [absolute use of the
adj.]
† 1. Tender state or condition.
Obs.| c 1400 Brut 254 Þat þe Kyng, for tendre of his age, shulde be gouernede be tuelf grete Lordes of Engeland. a 1691 Boyle Hist. Air xx. (1692) 196 Not only to blast the Fruit, but the very Leaves of such Trees..just in the Tender,..i.e. when they are newly expanded out of the Buds. |
† 2. Tender feeling, tenderness. (
Cf. tendre.)
Obs.| 1668 Dryden Evening's Love v. i, To disengage my heart from this furious tender, which I have for him. 1710 S. Centlivre Man's Bewitched Pref., 'Tis Natural to have a kind of a Tender for our own Productions. Ibid. v. ad fin., I had a kind of a Tender for Dolly; but since she's dispos'd of, I'll stand as I do. 1742 Richardson Pamela IV. 113 Let the Musick express, as I may say, Love and the Tender, ever so much. |
† 3. Tender consideration; care, regard, concern. (
Cf. tender v.
2 3.)
Obs. rare.
| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. iv. 49 Thou hast..shew'd thou mak'st some tender of my life In this faire rescue thou hast brought to mee. 1605 ― Lear i. iv. 230 The redresses..Which in the tender of a wholesome weale, Might in their working do you that offence. |
C. Combinations; chiefly parasynthetic
adjs., as
tender-bearded,
tender-bladed,
tender-bodied,
tender-bowelled,
tender-faced,
tender-handed,
tender-hoofed,
tender-hued,
tender-natured,
tender-personed,
tender-skinned,
tender-slanted,
tender-souled,
tender-spirited,
tender-tempered,
tender-witted, etc. Also,
= tenderly, in
tender-domestic,
tender-imped,
tender-looking,
tender-taken adjs. Special
Combs.:
tender-dying a., dying young;
tender-eared a., having tender ears; (
fig.), sensitive to blame or criticism;
tender-eyed a., (
a) having tender or sore eyes;
† (
b) fond, doting, partial;
tender-floss [
floss3]: see
quot.;
tender-foreheaded a., modest, ready to blush;
† tender-hefted a., set in a delicate ‘haft’ or bodily frame; hence, womanly, gentle;
tender-mouthed a., (
a) of a horse: having a tender mouth, answering readily to the rein;
† (
b) fastidious, dainty, choice; (
c) gentle in speaking, not harsh;
† tender-nosed a., (
a) keen-scented; (
b) timid, timorous;
tender-sided a. [? after
crank-sided],
= sense 10 e (
Cent. Dict. 1891);
tenderpad [
f. after
tenderfoot 2: see
pad n.3 7], a recruit to the Cub Scout movement who has passed the tenderpad test;
† tender-skull, a variety of walnut;
† tender-tinder, ? readily inflammable material (in
quot. fig.). See also
tender-conscienced,
tenderfoot, etc.
| 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. iii. 296 A Tree, whose *tender-bearded Root being spred In dryest sand. |
| 1804 tr. Ovid's Remedy of Love i. 102 (Jod.) The *tender-bladed grain, Shot up to stalk. |
| 1607 Shakes. Cor. i. iii. 6 When yet hee was but *tender-bodied. |
| 1650 Jer. Taylor Holy Living (1727) 162 Be *tender-bowelled, pitiful, and gentle. |
| 1849 Clough Amours de Voy. i. 116 One of those natures Which have their perfect delight in the general *tender-domestic. |
| 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 48 As lookes the Mother on her lowly Babe, When Death doth close his *tender-dying Eyes. |
| 1529 More Dyaloge iv. Wks. 248/1 The bad themself be not so *tendereared, that for the only talking of their faultes they would banish the bokes that were good in other thinges besyde. 1683 Kennett tr. Erasm. on Folly Pref. (1709) 8 Which makes me wonder at the tender-eared humour of this age. 1911 J. Masefield Everlasting Mercy (1912) 88 Two hares..Wide-eyed and tender-eared. |
| 1535 Coverdale Gen. xxix. 17 Lea was *tender eyed [Wyclif, with blerid eyen]. 1591 Percivall Sp. Dict., Pitañoso, bleare eied, tender eied. a 1619 Fletcher Wit without M. iii. i, You must not think your sister, so tender eyed as not to see your follies. |
| 1823 W. Taylor in Mirror 12 July, He [Thomson] was so *tender-faced..and so devilish difficult to shave. |
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 712 If its fracture be contorted, and contains a great many empty spaces or air-cells, the metal [cast iron] takes the name of cavernous-floss, or *tender-floss. |
| 1659 *Tender-foreheaded [see foreheaded 1]. 1825 Coleridge Aids Refl. Aph. xvii. 67 What need that Christians should be so tender-foreheaded as to be put out of countenance. |
| a 1750 A. Hill Wks. (1753) IV. 120 *Tender-handed stroke a nettle, And it stings you for your pains. |
| 1605 Shakes. Lear ii. iv. 176 Thy *tender-hefted [Qos hested] Nature shall not giue Thee o're to harshnesse. |
| 1624 Middleton Game at Chess iii. i, Thy conscience is so *tender-hoof'd of late, Every nail pricks it. |
| 1598 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. Ded. 12 Observe a while our *tender-imped Lark. |
| 1620 Venner Via Recta iv. 72 Some (That are very *tender mouthed) deeme this fish not so pleasant in taste. 1708 Yorkshire-Racers 3 He's tender-mouthed, manag'd with easy bit. |
| 1656 Duchess of Newcastle True Relation in Life (1886) 313 Also I am *tender natured, for it troubles my conscience to kill a fly. |
| c 1410 Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxiii, Þe redyer and moste *tendrenosed hounde. 1700 R. Cromwell Let. in Eng. Hist. Rev. XIII. 120 The other tow tender nosed gentlemen would not come. |
| 1916 R. Baden-Powell Wolf Cub's Handbk. i. ii. 25 A boy Wolf Cub is called a ‘Recruit’ till he has learnt the Cub laws and secret signs, and then he is admitted to be a ‘*Tender-pad’, and to wear the uniform of the Wolf Cubs. 1965 G. McInnes Road to Gundagai x. 158, I received a cap, but no badge (‘Not till you pass yer tenderpad test.’). |
| 1819 Keats Lamia ii. 238 The *tender-personed Lamia. |
| 1679 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (ed. 5) 38 Wallnuts, the Early nut: the *Tender-Scull, the Hard shell. |
| a 1868 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 175 Crisp lips, straight nose, and *tender-slanted cheek. |
| 1872 Symonds Introd. Stud. Dante 248 Most *tender-souled of feudal heroes. |
| 1853 Mrs. Gaskell Cranford xv. 230 Martha was so tearful and *tender-spirited, and unlike her usual self, that I said as little as possible about myself. |
| a 1821 Keats Last Sonnet, Still, still to hear her *tender-taken breath, And so live ever—or else swoon to death. |
| 1882 F. M. Crawford Mr. Isaacs ii, Arab stallions,..sure-footed as a mule, and *tender-tempered as a baby. |
| 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado (1878) 94 *Tender-tinder of Affection, If I harbour thee againe, I will doe it by direction Of some graue experienc't swaine. |
| 1560 Becon New Catech. Wks. I. 542 b, The children, whiche eyther are tender, or *tender witted, or fearefull, or easye to be reclaymed: the Scholemaster ought gently to entreat. |
▸
the tender trap:
(a) sexual or romantic involvement;
spec. marriage;
cf. the tender passion at A. 8a;
(b) fig. a seemingly attractive situation which has hidden dangers.
| 1954 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram 12 Aug. 40/8 Opening night tickets for ‘The Tender Trap’, Max Shulman's new play. 1956T. Gunn in R. Conquest New Lines 38 Hesitates in the tender trap of doubt. 1984 Defense Electronics 144/2 Mankind's natural psychological need to identify stable relationships, good friends, and symbiotic partnerships is the tender trap of international relations. 2002 K. Bontempo Love Songs of Henry Canary vii. 37, I fell into the tender trap again. I couldn't resist her. Within minutes we were in bed making love. |
▪ IV. tender, v.1 (
ˈtɛndə(r))
Also 6–8
tendre.
[a. F. tendre to hold out, offer (11th c. in Godef. Compl.):—L. tendĕre to stretch, hold forth. (The retention of the ending of the French infinitive is unusual, but cf. render v.)] To offer or present formally for acceptance.
1. trans. Law. To offer or advance (a plea, issue, averment; evidence, etc.) in due and formal terms;
spec. to offer (money, etc.) in discharge of a debt or liability,
esp. in exact fulfilment of the requirements of the law and of the obligation.
| 1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 2 §2 If..the saide Collectoures..tendre paiement of all suche money..within the saide three monethes. 1544 tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 22 b, The Lorde maye tender a conuenient mariage wythout disperagyng of such an heire female. 1607 Cowell Interpr. s.v., To tender his law of non Summons..is to offer himselfe ready to make his law, whereby to prooue that he was not summoned. c 1611 Chapman Iliad xxii. 302 If ten or twenty times so much, as friends would rate thy price, Were tendered here. 1621 H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 97 S{supr} John Bennett was ready to tender his apperaunce. 1730–6 Bailey (folio), To Tender an Averment (in Law), to offer a Proof or Evidence in Court. a 1774 Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 120 In all courts of judgment the burden of the proof lies upon him who tenders the issue. 1848 Wharton Law Lex. s.v., No copper coin can be tendered when the debt is such an amount that it can be paid in silver or gold. 1885 Law Times Rep. LIII. 51/2 Evidence was..tendered on behalf of the appellant to prove the construction of the furnace. |
† b. tender down: to lay down (money) in payment:
cf. pay down. Also
transf. Obs. rare.
| 1602 Heywood Wom. Kilde Wks. 1874 II. 108 Sir I accept it [money],..Come gentlemen, and see it tendred downe. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. ii. iv. 180 Had he twentie heads to tender downe On twentie bloodie blockes, hee'ld yeeld them vp. 1607 ― Timon i. i. 54 You see how all Conditions..tender downe Their seruices to Lord Timon. |
2. gen. To present (anything) for approval and acceptance; to offer, proffer.
| 1587 Harrison England ii. xxii. (1877) i. 340 Then doo they tender licences, and offer large dispensations vnto him. 1593 Shakes. Rich. II, ii. iii. 41 My gracious Lord, I tender you my seruice. 1607 Dekker & Webster Hist. Sir T. Wyatt Wks. 1873 III. 110 Who was it yonder, that tendered vp his life To natures death? 1635 A. Stafford Fem. Glory (1869) 149 All tendred their respects. 1713 Addison Ct. Tariff ¶21 As he tendered his ears. 1786 tr. Beckford's Vathek (1868) 45 The governor..tendered every kind of refreshment. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 101 Several Aldermen, who..loved neither Popery nor martial law, tendered their resignations. 1853 C. Brontë Villette xii, She tendered not even a remonstrance. 1871 R. Ellis Catullus lxv. 15 Yet mid such desolation a verse I tender. |
| fig. 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. ii. i. 244 As Iewels in Christall..tendring their own worth from whence they were glast. |
b. to tender an oath, to offer or present an oath
to a person, that he may take it; to put it
to anyone to take an oath. (
Rarely to take the oath:
quot. 1838.)
| 1562 Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 §6 To tender or minister the Othe aforesayd, to every..Ecclesiasticall person. 1710 Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) II. 355 The Oaths are also order'd to be tender'd to them. 1838 Prescott Ferd. & Is. (1846) I. v. 222 The principal grandees..soon presented themselves from all quarters, in order to tender the customary oaths of allegiance. 1871 Morley Crit. Misc. Ser. i. J. De Maistre (1878) 107 The authorities vainly tendered him the oath. |
† c. To offer
to do something.
Obs. rare—1.
| a 1618 Raleigh Maxims St. (1651) 31 Especially if it tender to take from them their commodities. |
3. [from
tender n.2 3.]
intr. To offer by tender
for a proposed contract, or the like.
| 1865 Pall Mall G. 12 Oct. 5 Cases..in which the grocery supply..is regulated by friendship [with] some particular grocer—a condition under which open tendering becomes altogether a farce. 1910 Times 9 Feb. 4 Seven firms tendered in competition.., the tenderers all sat at a table. |
Hence
ˈtendered (
-əd)
ppl. a.1;
ˈtendering vbl. n.1| 1613 T. Godwin Rom. Antiq. (1658) 112 A certain ticket or token..at the tendring whereof..certain doles and measures of corn were given. a 1677 Barrow Wks. (1686) III. xxxvi. 404 His tendering upon so fair and easie terms an endless life in perfect joy and bliss. 1883 Pall Mall G. 12 May 4/1 Mdlle. Jeanne receives the tendered homage with the condescension of well-acknowledged desert. 1955 Times 17 June 9/3 The President of the Board of Trade..proposed to send to the Commission a second general reference covering ‘common prices and level tendering’. 1972 G. L. Rees Britain's Commodity Markets vii. 165 For this purpose granaries (‘tendering points’) have been nominated by the Association. |
▪ V. tender, v.2 arch. or
dial. (
ˈtɛndə(r))
[f. tender a.: cf. OF. tendr-ir.] † 1. intr. To become tender; to be affected with pity; to grow soft, soften.
Obs.| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 270 The wo the children made, Wherof that al his herte tendreth. c 1400 Laud Troy Bk. 17447 The kynges herte ful sore tendres. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xix. 430 Whan Reynawde herde his brother Rycharde speke so to hym, his herte tendred with all ryght sore. 1553 Respublica iii. iv. 753, I on youe soo tendre. |
2. trans. To make tender (in various senses).
a. To render gentle, compassionate, or contrite; to soften. ?
Obs. exc. among Quakers.
| 1390 Gower Conf. I. 115 Al naked bot of smok and scherte, To tendre with the kynges herte. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 14 b/2 He added therto wepyng..to tendre our hertis. 1678 R. Barclay Apol. Quakers v. xvi. 147 It works powerfully upon the Soul, mightily tenders it, and breaks it. 16.. Penn To J. H., etc. (Cent.), I pray God forgive you, open your eyes, tender your hearts. a 1718 ― Life Wks. 1726 I. 61 We were all sweetly tender'd and broken together. 1797 Lamb To Chas. Lloyd 15 Deal with me, Omniscient Father! as thou judgest best And in thy season tender thou my heart. 1812 Mrs. Fry in Clay Prison Chaplain (1861) 81, I heard weeping, and I thought they [female convicts] appeared much tendered. |
† b. To make less stringent or strict; to mitigate.
Obs. rare.
| a 1656 Bp. Hall Specialties Life Rem. Wks. (1660) 10, I..þesought him to tender that hard condition. |
c. To make tender or delicate. Now
dial.| 1725 Cheyne Ess. Health vii. §7 Much and heavy Cloaths..tender and debilitate the Habit, and weaken the Strength. 1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 1042 Manure..blanching and tendering the grass plants in the spots where it remains. 1886 S.W. Linc. Gloss., Tender, to make tender: as ‘It'll tender him for the winter’. |
d. To make (physically) tender, soft, or weak; to soften, weaken. Now
dial. and
techn.| 1764 Museum Rust. II. lxxvi. 261 The band seldom breaks there, unless it be made of too small a quantity, or of corn much tendered. 1806 A. Hunter Culina (ed. 3) 182 Stew it till quite tender... When sufficiently tendered, take out the bones. 1874 W. Crookes Dyeing & Calico-print. ii. vii. 517 If too strongly acid or alkaline it [the mordant] will have a corrosive action, and the goods, as it is technically called, will be ‘tendered’. 1880 Antrim & Down Gloss s.v., The fibre (of flax) tendered by excess of moisture. |
3. To feel or act tenderly towards; to regard or treat with tenderness: with various shades of meaning.
a. To have a tender regard for, to hold dear; to be concerned for or solicitous about; to treat with consideration; to regard, care for, value, esteem.
arch. See also
f.| 1439 Rolls of Parlt. V. 8/2 Þeir worshipp which þei tendre most of any ertly thing. 1469 Paston Lett. II. 352 Be my trowthe ther is no gentylwoman on lyve that my herte tendreth more then it dothe her. 1524 [see f.]. 1579 Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 30 Dion..forbiddeth.. gentlewomen that tender their name and honor, to come to Theaters. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 87 It must needs be more cause of joy to all that tender the glory of God. a 1677 Barrow Wks. (1687) I. viii. 98 By our charity and benignity to those whose good he tenders. 1786 Francis the Philanthropist III. 72 He advised me, as I tendered my own safety, to keep aloof from his house. 1828 Southey in Q. Rev. XXXVIII. 569 As we tender the safety of the Royal Oak. 1857 [see f]. |
† b. To regard or receive favourably; to attend to or comply with (a request) graciously.
Obs.| c 1430 Life St. Kath. (1884) 9 Besechynge ȝowre hyȝe excellence to tendre our desyr and to graunte vs..a graciouse answer. 1523 Skelton Garl. Laurel 56 My supplycacyon to thee I arrecte, Whereof I beseche you to tender the effecte. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 534 Then for thy husband and thy childrens sake, Tender my suite. |
† c. To regard or treat with pity; to take pity on, have mercy on; to feel or show compassion for.
| 1442 Hen. VI in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. iii. I. 78 That ye soo tendryng thees oure necessitees wol lene vnto vs for the socours and relief of oure seid Duchie [etc.]. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxxxi. 311 To knowe yf he wolde receyue you..and for pytie somwhat to tendre your nede and necessyte. 1581 T. Howell Deuises (1879) 183 The Lyon doth tender the beast that doth yeelde. 1649 Roberts Clavis Bibl. 25 Seeing he so tenders them in affliction. |
d. To treat with affectionate care; to cherish, foster; to take care of, look after.
Obs. or
dial.| 1449 Rolls of Parlt. V. 152/2 Fadres of the Church, that shuld most specially tendir þe dere bought monnys soule. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. lxvii. 15 He tenderlie tendreth his childerne and wife. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. ix. (1623) 617 He rather ought to haue tendred him as a Father. a 1711 Ken Hymns Festiv. Poet. Wks. 1721 I. 386 You in their Infant-age, To tender them engage. 1844 Mrs. Sherwood Hist. J. Marten xxv, [Irish lad says] I was obliged to lead him about,..and tender him, and help him, as if he had been a girl. |
† e. To have regard or respect to as something to be dreaded and avoided.
Obs.| 1615, 1625 [see f]. 1633 T. Stafford Pac. Hib. i. viii. (1821) 113 Beseeching your Lordship..not to faile, as you tender the overthrow of our Action. 1672–1901 [see f]. |
f. Phrases. Royal Proclamations formerly ended with the phrase ‘as they [you, etc.] tender our pleasure’ (in sense a above), which was used as late as 1701, but in the 17th c. was largely supplanted by ‘as they tender our displeasure’ (see sense e), which occurs as early as 1615, and remained in use in proclamations for continuing persons in office, issued on the accession of a sovereign, down to the accession of Edward VII, after which the Demise of the Crown Act (of July 1901) rendered such proclamations unnecessary. Proclamations for general fasts or thanksgivings have from 1641 ended with the phrase ‘as they tender the favour of Almighty God’.
| 1490 Warrant in Coventry Leet Bk. 539 Fayle ye not herof..as ye & every of yowe tendre our singler pleasir and woll eshewe þe contrarie. 1524 Hen. VIII in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 220 We..commaunde you..to..suffre hym so to do, without any your let, chalenge, or contradiccion, as ye tender our pleasur. 1618 (July 6) Procl. 16 Jas. I, (Inhibiting all persons, etc.) as they tender Our pleasure and will avoid Our indignation and displeasure. 1619 (Nov. 10) Procl. 17 Jas. I, As they tender Our pleasure, and will avoide the contrary. 1669 (June 23) Procl. 21 Chas. II. 1701 (Mar. 9) Procl. 1 Anne (Continuing Persons in Office) as they and every of them tender Her Majesty's pleasure. |
| 1615 (Dec. 9) Procl. 13 Jas. I (Requiring the Residencie of Noblemen, etc.) as they tender Our indignation and displeasure. 1625 (May 26) Procl. 1 Chas. I (For reforming disorders in His Majesty's Household) as they will give account to Us thereof and tender Our high displeasure for neglect of this service. 1672 Dk. Newcastle in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 24 His Majesty..hath required me to prohibit your further proceeding therein as you tender His Majesty's displeasure. 1688 (Feb. 19) Procl. 1 Wm. & Mary (Continuing Officers in Plantations) as they and every of them tender Our Displeasure. 1701 (Mar. 8) Procl. 1 Anne (Continuing Persons in Offices) as they and every of them tender Her Majesty's utmost displeasure. 1704 N. N. tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. III. 156 But above all things, as he tender'd his Majesty's Displeasure, he should take particular Care never to part with any of 'em. 1727 (June 16) Procl. 1 Geo. II, As they and every of them tender Our utmost Displeasure. 1901 (Jan. 23) Procl. 1 Edw. VII, [same words]. |
| 1625 (July 3) Procl. 1 Chas. I (For a public generall and solemn Fast) as they tender their duties to Almighty God, and to their Prince and Countrey. 1641 (Jan. 8) Procl. 17 Chas. I (For a general Fast) as they tender the favour of Almighty God. 1805 (Nov. 7) Procl. 46 Geo. III (For a General Thanksgiving) [same words]. 1857 (Sept. 24) Procl. 21 Vict. (For a day of solemn Fast) [same words]. |
Hence
ˈtendered ppl. a.2;
ˈtendering vbl. n.2, a making or becoming tender;
ˈtendering ppl. a., that produces tenderness; affecting.
arch.| 1635 J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Banish'd Virg. 66 Parting from her deerely-*tendred girle. |
| 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 92 b, Diligent in the *tendering of the tree. 1640 Bp. Reynolds Passions xxvii, Out of a tendering of its own safety. 1684 O. Heywood Diaries (1885) IV. 104, I..poured out my soul to god for him, and now at last see some tenderings. 1762 J. Woolman Jrnl. viii. (1840) 115 Pure gospel love was felt to the tendering of some of our hearts. |
| c 1694 Penn in Janney Life xxvii. (1856) 388 In a *tendering and living power she broke out.., ‘Let us all prepare [etc.].’ 1760 J. Rutty Spir. Diary (ed. 2) 154 A sweet humbling, tendering time. 1824 Summary View of Amer. x. 137 He kissed one, took another in his arms, and proved himself so affectionate a father, that it was a tendering sight. |
▪ VI. ˈtender, v.3 [f. tender n.1] trans. To ship (mails, luggage, etc.) on board a tender.
| 1905 Westm. Gaz. 4 Dec. 12/1 The work of ‘tendering’ and stowing the bags accomplished, the usual special train run on occasions of the kind left Plymouth Docks at 6.43 p.m...and arrived at Paddington at 10.53 p.m.—247 miles in 250 minutes. |