# tender

Pronunciation: US say "TEN-dur" /ˈtɛn.dɚ/; UK say "TEN-duh" /ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/

## Adjective

1. Soft and easily chewed.
   - Simple: Soft and easy to chew, like well-cooked meat.
   - _The roast came out tender and juicy after hours in the oven._
   - _Simmer the beans until they are tender enough to mash._
2. Showing or expressing gentleness, affection, and kind feeling; of a scene, song, or story, gently moving and stirring soft emotions.
   - Simple: Gentle and loving. Showing soft, kind feelings or making people feel them.
   - _They shared a tender embrace before he boarded the train._
   - _Her letters were full of tender words for the friends she had left behind._
3. Sensitive or painful when touched.
   - Simple: Sore and painful when you touch it.
   - _The doctor pressed the swollen joint, which was tender to the touch._
   - _After the surgery, the area around the stitches remained tender for weeks._
8. Young and inexperienced.
   - Simple: Young and without much experience of life.
   - _The apprentices were of tender years and needed close supervision._
   - _At such a tender age, he could hardly grasp the consequences of his choice._
9. Delicate and easily damaged, bruised, or hurt; of a plant, unable to survive cold or harsh conditions.
   - Simple: Soft and delicate, so easily bruised or damaged, like fruit or young plants that die in cold weather.
   - _Pack the tender raspberries on top so they don't get crushed in the bag._
   - _The flesh of the fruit is tender and bruises the moment it is dropped._
13. Likely to cause grief or pain, and requiring delicate, careful handling.
   - Simple: Likely to cause hurt feelings, so it must be handled with care.
   - _The lawyer approached the tender matter of the inheritance with great care._
   - _Her recent divorce was still a tender subject at family dinners._

## Verb

4. To offer or give something, especially in a formal manner.
   - Simple: To formally offer or give something to someone.
   - _He rose to tender his apologies to the assembled guests._
   - _Officials may tender their resignations when a scandal breaks._
12. To put in a formal bid, offering to buy something or to supply goods or do work at a stated price.
   - Simple: To formally offer to buy something, supply goods, or do a job for a stated price.
   - _Three local companies tendered for the contract to repave the main highway through town._
   - _The city invited cleaning firms to tender for the contract at the new high school._
18. To work aboard a tender, the small support boat that attends and supplies a larger vessel.
   - Simple: To do work aboard a tender, a small boat that helps a larger ship.
   - _During herring season, his crew tenders for the fleet, carrying each boat's catch back to the cannery._
   - _Crews who tender on these support craft work long, demanding shifts._

## Noun

5. A formal offer put forward for acceptance, especially a bid to supply goods, do work, or buy or sell something at a stated price.
   - Simple: A formal offer, especially one to do work, supply goods, or buy something at a stated price.
   - _The council reviewed every tender before awarding the contract._
   - _Each tender had to be sealed and submitted by Friday afternoon._
6. A means of payment such as cash, a check, or a credit card.
   - Simple: A way of paying for something, such as cash or a card.
   - _The store accepts almost any tender, from contactless cards to cash._
   - _Cash remains the most common tender at the weekend market._
7. The inner flight muscle of poultry, a narrow strip lying beneath the breast.
   - Simple: The soft strip of meat from the inside of a chicken's breast.
   - _A careful cook removes the tough tendon from the tender before cooking._
   - _The tender cooks faster than the surrounding breast meat._
10. A boat or ship that attends other vessels, supplying them or carrying people and goods between a larger ship and the shore.
   - Simple: A boat or ship that serves other ships, bringing supplies or taking people between a big ship and land.
   - _The destroyer pulled alongside the tender to refuel and rearm._
   - _A submarine tender anchored in the bay to service the returning boats._
11. The car coupled behind a steam locomotive to carry its supply of fuel and water.
   - Simple: A train car pulled behind a steam engine to carry coal and water.
   - _The locomotive's tender ran dry of water before reaching the next station._
   - _Crews refilled the tender with coal at every major depot._
17. A member of a diving team who helps a diver during a dive but does not go underwater.
   - Simple: A person on a diving team who helps a diver from the surface but does not go underwater.
   - _The tender paid out the umbilical as the diver descended toward the wreck._
   - _Each diver depended on a tender stationed safely on the boat above._

## Adverb

19. In a soft, gentle, and affectionate manner; tenderly.
   - Simple: In a gentle, loving, and caring way toward someone.
   - _He hummed the lullaby low and tender until his daughter finally fell asleep._
   - _He held the newborn close and spoke soft and tender to her, as if she understood every word._

## Noun

14. A person who tends to or waits upon another. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A person who looks after or serves another person.
16. Kind concern, care, or regard shown toward another. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Kind care and gentle concern shown toward another person.

## Adjective

15. Careful to keep something safe from harm or injury; solicitous of it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Careful not to harm or spoil something you care about.
20. Dear and precious, and so arousing kind concern in others. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Loved and very dear, so that others want to care for it.

## Verb

21. To feel tenderly toward someone; to regard a person fondly and with care. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To feel love and gentle care for someone.
22. To make something tender or delicate; to weaken it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To make something soft, weak, or easy to harm.

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of a sailing vessel, inclined to heel over too easily when under sail.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 7–9, 13, 15–16, 20** — Latin tener, tenerum ("soft, delicate") gave Old French and Anglo-Norman tendre, and Middle English took it as tender.
**Meaning 19** — From Middle English tender, formed from the adjective tender (see above).
**Meanings 21–22** — From Middle English tendren, formed from the adjective tender (see above).
**Meanings 10–11, 14, 17–18** — It is the verb tend with the suffix -er, so "one who tends," formed like attender ("one who attends").
**Meanings 4–6, 12** — From Middle English tendren, from Old French tendre ("stretch out").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tender (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).