intenerate

I1N1T1E1N1E1R1A1T1E1
/ɪnˈtɛnəɹeɪt/

verb

To soften; tenderize.

OriginNew Latin intenerātus →
Scrabble 10
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Meanings

verbintenerate (third-person singular simple present intenerates, present participle intenerating, simple past and past participle intenerated)

present singular third person intenerates · participle present intenerating · participle past intenerated · past intenerated

  1. transitiveTo soften; tenderize.

    Fear intenerates the heart.

    1637, Joseph Hall, The Remedy of Profaneness
    2 more examples

    So have I seen the little purls of a stream […] intenerate the stubborn pavement.

    a. 1667, Jeremy Taylor, “Of Growth in Sin”, in The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, new edition, volume IV, London: Longman et al., published 1850

    Unable to resist these intenerating considerations, his regrets, lively at first, melt at last, melt quite away and pass over, softly, into the celebrated conviction that all is well, or at least for the best.

    1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC

Origin

  1. New Latinintenerātus
  2. Englishintenerate

From New Latin intenerātus, perfect passive participle of intenerō (from tener (“tender”)), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

More words from New Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

intenerate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intenerate

MLA

“intenerate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intenerate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intenerate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intenerate.

Source: intenerate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.