tender

tender · adjective, noun¹

1. Latin · derived fromtener, tenerum“soft, delicate”
2. Old French · derived fromtendre
3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromtendre
4. Middle English · inherited fromtender
5. English todaytender

From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tendre, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”).

tender · adverb²

1. Middle English · inherited fromtender
2. English todaytender

From Middle English tender, tendur, tendir, tendre, from the adjective (see above).

tender · verb³

1. Middle English · inherited fromtendren
2. English todaytender

From Middle English tendren, from the adjective (see above).

tender · noun, verb⁴

From tend + -er. Compare attender (“one who attends”).

tender · noun, verb⁵

1. Old French · derived fromtendre“stretch out”
2. Middle English · inherited fromtendren
3. English todaytender

From Middle English tendren, from Old French tendre (“stretch out”).

Words from the same roots