tendre French · revision 17333

+ {{homograph|1|stretch}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 10th century, Passion de Clermont|origins=la tendō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /tɑ̃dʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''tendre'''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The verb is [[inh|la|tendō|t=to stretch, spread; to set (traps); to make for; to aim at; to pitch a tent]].^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|13/1, 196a)

+

+ Cognate with [[it|tendere]], [[pro|tendre]] and [[es|tender]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Passion de Clermont'' (late 10th century) uses it for holding something out to someone and for stretching out a part of the body.^(TLFi)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the ''Chanson de Roland'' (about 1100) one bends a bow and pitches a tent with it (''tendre un tref''); a sail is ''tendue'' in Chrétien de Troyes (1176), tapestries in 1258, and traps about 1175.^(TLFi) ''Tendre l'oreille'' “to prick up one's ears” is found about 1225, and Villon (1462) uses ''tendre ses filets'' figuratively.^(TLFi)

+

+ With ''à'' it has meant “to aspire to” (1174–1176), “to tend towards” (1176) and “to make for” (about 1225); D'Alembert (1759) gave it its mathematical sense, “to approach a limit”, as in ''tendre vers zéro'' (1901).^(TLFi) The participle ''tendu'' “strained” is used of a situation in George Sand (1849) and of an atmosphere in Sartre (1948).^(TLFi) Derivatives include ''tendance'' (13th century) and ''tente'', from the feminine of the past participle.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 10th century – “To hold out”, in the ''Passion de Clermont''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1100 – ''Tendre un arc'', ''tendre un tref'' in the ''Chanson de Roland''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1174–1176 – ''Tendre à'' “to aspire to”.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1225 – ''Tendre l'oreille''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1759 – “To approach a limit”, in D'Alembert.^(TLFi)

+ * 1849 – ''Situation tendue'' in George Sand.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To stretch, [[m|en|tighten]]: ''tendre une corde'', ''tendre un arc''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Le Robert)

+ # To spread, set: ''tendre un filet'', ''tendre un piège''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # To hang (a wall) with fabric: ''tendre un mur de tissu''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # To hold out, stretch out: ''tendre la main'', ''tendre les bras'', ''tendre l'oreille''.^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Tendre à'', ''tendre vers'': to tend to, aim at.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' ''Tendre vers'': to approach (a limit).^(TLFi)

+ # ''Se tendre'': to become taut, (of relations) to become strained.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tendu]]

+ * [[tendance]]

+ * [[tendeur]]

+ * [[tente]]

+ * [[tenture]]

+ * [[tenderie]]

+ * [[détendre]]

+ * [[retendre]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|tender}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1050, Vie de saint Alexis|origins=la tener}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /tɑ̃dʁ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''tendre''' (plural tendres)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French also [[m|fro|tenre]].^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The adjective is [[inh|la|tener|t=soft, delicate; young]], through its accusative “tenerum”, with the same physical and moral senses as in French.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|13/1, 205b) Rey notes that no other Indo-European language has a matching form, and that the word is usually connected with the family of [[m|la|teneō|t=to hold]], [[m|la|tenuis|t=thin]] and [[m|la|tendō|t=to stretch]], Wiktionary takes it to [[ine-pro|*ten-|t=to stretch]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Cognate with [[ro|tânăr|t=young]], [[it|tenero]], [[oc|tenre]], [[ca|tendre]], [[es|tierno]] and [[pt|tenro]].^(REW 1935)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is found about 1050 in the ''Vie de saint Alexis''; the ''Chanson de Roland'' has it of a heart easily moved: ''Karles respunt : trop avez tendre coer'' (“Charles answers: your heart is too tender”).^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Its first sense, “young, fresh”, survives only in ''âge tendre'' (1579).^(DHLF 1992) As the opposite of ''dur'' it meant “easily cut” (about 1200), especially of food (''pain tendre'', 1636), and of people “delicate” (about 1155) and later “sensitive to pain”.^(DHLF 1992) In the 14th century it came to mean “responsive to affection”, whence ''n'être pas tendre'' “to be hard” (about 1750).^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ Classical French used ''le tendre'' for love (1649), made famous by the ''Carte du Tendre'' in Mademoiselle de Scudéry's ''Clélie'' (1656), and the précieux said ''avoir un tendre pour quelqu'un'' (1659).^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Since the 18th century it has described soft light and colours (1745), and wine-tasters have used it of light, supple wines since 1770.^(DHLF 1992)^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1050 – In the ''Vie de saint Alexis''.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * c. 1155 – Of a delicate person.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 14th century – “Affectionate”.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1579 – ''Âge tendre''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1656 – The ''Carte du Tendre''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1745 – Of colours.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1770 – Of wine.^(BHVF)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|tender]], soft, easily cut: ''viande tendre'', ''pierre tendre'', ''bois tendre''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Larousse)

+ # ''(literary)'' Young, fresh: ''l'herbe tendre'', ''l'âge tendre'', ''sa tendre enfance''.^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # (of a colour) Soft, pale: ''rose tendre''.^(Larousse)

+ # Affectionate, loving: ''une mère tendre'', ''des mots tendres''.^(Larousse)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''Ne pas être tendre avec'': to be hard on.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # (of wine) Light and supple.^(BHVF)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A soft-hearted person: ''c'est un tendre''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Love: ''la carte du Tendre''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tendresse]]

+ * [[tendrement]]

+ * [[tendreté]]

+ * [[attendrir]]

+ * [[tendron]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tension]]

+ * [[toise]]

+ * [[ténu]]

+ * [[la|tendō]]

+ * [[la|tener]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}