| 释义 |
▪ 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.).
c1470Henryson Orpheus & Eur. 20 The anseane and sad wyse men of age Wer tendouris to ȝung and Insolent, To mak þame in all vertewis excellent. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. 139 Two hundred horsemen in Moscouie, require three hundred packehorses, and so many tenders, who must all be fedde. 1637Brian Pisse-Proph. iii. (1679) 25 Some nurse or tender of sick persons. 1683Tryon Way to Health 285 As Waiters, Tenders or Servitors to execute and obey the Commands of the Spirit of the Lord. a1825Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Tender, a waiter at a public table, or place of entertainment. c1830Glouc. 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. 1880W. 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.
1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 671 That the engine tender may not be at a loss when to throw his machinery into geer. 1856Emerson Eng. Traits vi. 107 The machines..prove too much for their tenders. 1883Daily News 16 Oct 6/2 The bar tender [in U.S.]..demanded payment. 1897Rhoscomyl White Rose Arno 94 ‘Show thy brass then’, said the bridge-tender. 1910Times 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.
1675Lond. Gaz. No. 1054/2 Here are arrived five Dutch Men of War, and four Tenders. 1710Ibid. No. 4677/3 Yesterday..came down hither her Majesty's Ship the Lyme, with the Star-Bomb and her Tender. 1732T. Lediard Sethos II. ix. 291 The greater seem'd only to be the retinue or tenders upon the less. 1772Hist. Rochester 18 A tender in the river..employed in pressing seamen. 1812Shelley Let. to Miss Hitchener 10 Mar., A Magistrate..gave him the alternative of the tender or of military servitude. 1898Whitaker's Almanack 223/1 Cockchafer, 2nd cl. gunboat..tender to Rodney [1st cl. battle-ship, used as coastguard] Queensferry N.B. 1906King'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. 1910Naval & 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.
1853Kane Grinnell Exp. xxi. (1856) 162 It was wisely determined by..old Sir John that he would leave the Mary, his tender of twelve tons. 1868Daily News 20 July, As the tender was puffing out to us in Queenstown Harbour. 1887J. Ball Nat. in S. Amer. 28 To go on board a small tender that lay alongside of a half-ruined wharf. 1910Agnes Weston Life among Bluejackets 54 We waited at the Royal Hotel, Plymouth, for the signal that the tender would shortly put off.
c. fig.
1700Congreve Way of World ii. v, Here she comes, i' faith, full sail, with..a shoal of fools for tenders. 1865Even. Standard 6 June, [A weekly newspaper] a tender to this peculating concern..conducted upon the same principle, or with the same lack of principle. 1889Daily 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.
1825Maclaren Railways 32 note, A small waggon bearing water and coals follows close behind the engine, and is called the Tender, i.e. the ‘Attender’. 1878F. S. Williams Midl. Railw. 662 The tender will hold 2320 gallons of water, it has a coal space for 4 tons.
attrib.1838Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 134/1 The same apparatus may be attached to the tender axles. 1894Westm. Gaz. 6 Feb. 7/2 In the outrush of water from the tender tank. 1897Daily 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.
1877Knight Dict. Mech., Tender..a small reservoir attached to a mop, scrubber, or similar utensil. 1894Northumbld. 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.
1562–3Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 §17 All suche persons shalbee compellable to take the Othe upon the seconde Tender or Offer of the same. 1647Hammond Power of Keys iv. 60 This magisteriall affirmation having no tender or offer of proof annext to it. 1768Blackstone Comm. III. i. 15 If tender of amends is made before any action is brought. 1848Wharton 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. 1872Ibid. 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.
1542–3Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 2 §2 The same Collectour..as shall so make tendre of all suche money. 1544tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 70 Where such lawefull tender of the money is made. 1817W. Selwyn Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 966 The defendant pleaded non-assumpsit as to all except 3l., and as to that a tender. 1863A. J. Horwood Yearbks. 30 & 31 Edw. I, Pref. 26 note, The reason for the tender of the demy-mark in a writ of right. 1883Wharton'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.
1577Harrison England Pref., I dare presume to make tendour of the protection thereof vnto your Lordships hands. 1602Shakes. 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? 1761–2Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxxi. 286 [He] made a tender of his sword and purse to the prince of Orange. 1855Macaulay 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. 1871R. 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.
1666Pepys Diary 14 July, The business of Captain Cocke's tender of hempe. 1691Lond. 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. 1851Mayhew Lond. Labour I. 291/2 The privilege..is disposed of by tender. 1868Rogers 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. 1882Statist X. 485 The lowest tender was accepted.
b. tender offer (U.S.) (see quot. 1979), usu. for the purpose of obtaining effective control.
1964J. Low Investor's Dict. 198 In general when an outside interest makes a tender offer the market price rises close to the tender price. 1979Yale 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).
1740W. Douglass Disc. Curr. Brit. Plant. Amer. 20 France never made their State Bills a common Tender. 1765T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. I. i. 27 Indian corn..was made a tender in discharge of all debt. 1777Jrnls. 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. 1838–42Arnold Hist. Rome II. xxvii. 73 Land and cattle became legal tender at a certain fixed rate of value. 1866Crump Banking iv. 95 A cheque is not a legal tender, and for that reason may be objected to. 1883Gilmour 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).
a1225Ancr. R. 114 Vor his fleschs was al cwic ase is þe tendre eien. a1300Cursor 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. c1400Mandeville xxxiii. 150 Þe tendre erthe was remowed fra his place and þare become a valay, and þe hard erthe habade still. 1422tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 247 Tendyr brede makyd of the floure of Whete. a1500Sir Beues 2529 (Pynson) Beuys..hyt the dragon vnder the wynge,..There was he tender wythout skale. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 26 The Skout..being sodin,..is maist tendir. 1650Bulwer Anthropomet. 186 Their bones being yet tender, soft, and cartilaginious. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 501 The tender Grass, and budding Flower. 1787Best Angling (ed. 2) 39 He bites very freely, but is often lost when struck, his mouth being very tender. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §272 Moorstone..being a tender kind of stone in respect to the union of its component parts. 1832Lyell Princ. Geol. II. 281 Many tender and fragile shells. 1881Binns 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.c1386Chaucer Merch. T. 946, I haue..a soule for to kepe..and also myn honour And of my wyfhod, thilke tendre flour. 1709Steele & 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.
1727D. Eaton Let. 25 Mar. (1971) 105 He has carted at a very unseasonable time when the ground was tender. 1789Trans. Soc. Arts VII. 68 Some of the lands are so tender, that a board or patten..is fixed to each foot of every horse. 1904Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. (Warwick), Behand Spetchley the roads was very tender.
c. tender porcelain: soft porcelain; see quots.
1839Ure 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. 1884Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., Tender porcelain, a soft body porcelain made in Europe.
†2. Frail, thin, fine, slender. Obs. rare.
1390Gower Conf. III. 52 The happes over mannes hed Ben honged with a tendre thred. 1703Moxon 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.
a1225Ancr. R. 112 Godes fleschs..þet was inumen of þe tendre meldene. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6441 Non byleued nere, Bote is tueye ȝonge sones, þat so feble & tendre were. 1340Ayenb. 31 Þou ne miȝt naȝt do þe greate penonces. Þou art to tendre. 1382Wyclif Deut. xxviii. 56 A tendre womman and a delicate. 1484Caxton Fables of æsop v. x, I shalle not ete the, For thow sholdest hurte my tendre stomak. 1535Coverdale Susanna 31 Now Susanna was a tender person, and maruelous fayre of face. 1552Huloet, Tender man not able to indure hardnes, effæminatus. a1627Middleton More Dissemblers iii. i, A tender, puling, nice, chitty-fac'd squal 'tis. 1859Tennyson 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.
1614Markham Cheap Husb. vii. xvii. (1668) 121 Turkies when they are young are very tender to bring up. 1657Austen Fruit Trees i. 56 The May-Cherries are tender, the Trees must be set in a warm place. 1769Rutter & Carter Mod. Eden ii. iv. 218 (heading) Of raising tender annuals on hot-beds. 1791E. 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. 1796C. Marshall Garden. xii. (1813) 161 Fig trees will mostly survive hard winters, when in standards,..though shoots trained to a wall are tenderer. 1822J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening 1070 The green-house is now filled with tender annuals. 1867T. 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. 1933Discovery Mar. 76/2 The runner bean..of Mexican parentage or origin is here grown as a tender annual. 1969Times 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. 1974J. Warren Macself's Amat. Greenhouse (ed. 5) viii. 238 The tender annuals of all kinds should be sown in spring rather than autumn. 1978U.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.
1645R. Baillie Let. to G. Young 8 July, Mr. Henderson is much tenderer than he wont. 1747Wesley Prim. Physic (1762) p. xviii, Tender People should have those..who are much about them sound and healthy. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. v, I had been tender a' the simmer, and scarce ower the door o' my room for twal weeks. 1864Ld. 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).
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 252 He was tendre & ȝing. 13..E.E. Allit. P. A. 412, I watz ful ȝong & tender of age. 1454Rolls of Parlt. V. 242/1 An Acte made in the tendre age of the Kyng. 1539Bible (Great) Gen. xxxiii. 13 My Lorde, Thou knowest, that the chyldren are tendre. 1563Homilies ii. Sacrament ii. (1859) 449 The true Christians in the tender time of Christ's Church called this Supper Love. 1586Let. Earle Leycester 8 Infected with Poperie from her tender youth. 1610Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 250 He departed this life in his tender yeares. 1732Berkeley Alciphr. i. §5 Early instruction instilled into our tender minds. 1844Ld. 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.
1503Dunbar Thistle & Rose 50 The purpour sone, with tendir bemys reid. c1694Prior Celia to Damon 67 The tender accents of a woman's cry Will pass unheard. 1754Gray Pleasure 8 April..Scatters his freshest, tenderest green. 1812J. Wilson Isle of Palms i. 19 A zone of dim and tender light. 1894Fenn 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.
1625Bacon 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. 1647N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. vi. (1739) 14 The times were too tender to endure them to be declarative on either part. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 325 They considered not..upon what tender and ticklish terms their navigation stood. 1821Scott 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.
1340–70Alex. & Dind. 952 In tendere touchinge of þing & tastinge of swete. 1592Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 353 Her other tender hand his faire cheeke feeles: His tendrer cheeke, receiues her soft hands print. 1602Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. i, I presse you softly with a tender foote. a1628Preston Breastpl. Faith (1630) 128 The smoking Flax, he did blow with a tender breath to kindle it more, hee dealt not roughly with it. 1833Coleridge 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.
a1300Cursor M. 24245 (Cott.) Mi suet moder, tender of hert. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints vi. (Thomas) 444 Synciane, þat wes vorthy, & tendir frende to mygdony. c1420Brut 346 He kept þat office but iiij wokis, because he was so tendir and gentill vn-to þe cetezens of London. 1534More Treat. Passion Wks. 1273/1 The wily wrech perceiued..the tender mynde that the man had to hys make. 1535Coverdale Ps. xxiv. [xxv.] 6 Call to remembrance, O Lorde, thy tender mercies & thy louing kindnesses. 1576in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 416 In tendre consideracion wherof may yt please your honour. 1611Bible Prov. xii. 10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruell. 1691T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. p. cxxiii, Seamen..are entituled to a more tender Protection from the Crown than other Subjects are. 1775Sheridan Duenna i. iii, I delight in the tender passions. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xxxvii, His little sisters, in whose welfare she still took the tenderest interest. 1867Athenæum 20 July 77/2 The rivalry of the class-room is unfavourable to the tender sentiment. 1893[see mercy n. 5 c]. 1906Conrad Mirror of Sea xxxiii. 182 A ship anchored..is not abandoned by her own men to the tender mercies of shore people. 1925Galsworthy 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]. 1965Listener 17 June 892/2 Smaller..traders and manufacturers..left to the tender mercies of the open property market. 1973Computers & 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. 1977Listener 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.
c1450Holland Howlat 439 As his tenderest and deir In his maist misteir. 1485Sc. Acts Jas. III (1814) II. 171/1 His hienes has diuers tymez..maid supplicacioun..for þe promocioun of his tendir clerk & consalour. 1591Shakes. Two Gent. v. iv. 37 How I loue Valentine, Whose life's as tender to me as my soule. 1611Bible 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.
1508Dunbar Poems vii. 15 Welcum our tendir blude of hie parage. 1565Q. Mary in Keith Hist. (1734) App. 103 Lady Margaret Countes of Lennox, being alswa sa tendir of Blude to hir Majestie. 1630–56Sir 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.
c1305St. Kenelm 136 in E.E.P. (1862) 51 His norice..Tendre was of þis child, for heo him hadde deorest iboȝt. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 905 Whar-to þan es man..Swa tendre of his vile body? a1400–50Alexander 3317 Be tendire of my kniȝtis. 1551T. Wilson Logike (1580) 33 Then should all Capitaines..be tender ouer their poore warriours and base Soldiours. 1605Bacon Adv. Learn. i. iii. §10 Some person, tender on the behalf of philosophy, reproved Aristippus. 1642Declar. Lords & Com. in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1721) V. 45 The Priviledges of Parliament, which the Contrivers..seem to be so tender of. 1709Swift Vind. Bickerstaff ⁋1, I am too tender of his reputation to publish them. 1783Burke Affairs India Wks. XI. 334 Mr. Barwell..ought to have been tender for his honour. 1868Rogers 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.
1651N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. ii. xxvii. (1739) 120 He was tender of the least diminution of his Honour. 1656Sir J. Finett For. Ambass. 41, I was tender in taking any course without his Lordship's directions. 1667Pepys Diary 28 Oct., I confess, I am sorry to find him so tender of appearing. 1729Law Serious C. xxiii. (1732) 478 Very tender in censuring and condemning other people. 1840Lady 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.
c1410,1700[see tender-nosed in C.]. 1445tr. Claudian in Anglia XXVIII. 277 As blode houndys with her tendir nose tel thingis or thei appiere. 1593Shakes. 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.
c1600Shakes. 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. 1715Desaguliers 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.
[1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, ii. ii. 144 But Conscience, Conscience; O 'tis a tender place, and I must leaue her.] 1709[implied in tenderness 3]. 1799Med. Jrnl. I. 159 The tumor being hard, and very tender. 1898Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 749 The skin over the pericardium was tender and sensitive.
†d. Of scales for weighing: Delicate, sensitive.
1665–6Phil. Trans. I. 232 If I had had..tender Scales.
e. Of a ship: Leaning over too easily under sail-pressure; crank, not ‘stiff’.
1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 190 The ship..was leaky and tender. 1726G. 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’. 1823Scoresby Jrnl. Whale Fish. 293 We found the ship so tender (yielding greatly to the influence of the wind), that we could scarcely carry sail. 1899F. 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.
1849Lever 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.
c1586L. Bryskett Mourn. Muse Thestylis 55 Your teares a hart of flint Might tender make. [1613: see sense 10 c.] 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. vi. §21 The sight of him made all tender Beholders Cripples by Sympathie. 1660Chas. II Declar. fr. Breda, We do declare a Liberty to tender Consciences. 1672G. Fox Jrnl., The people being generally tender and open. 1685Evelyn Mrs. Godolphin 46, I found her.. all in feares, for never was Creature more devout and tender. 1728P. 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. 1788Wesley 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. 1844Ld. Brougham Brit. Const. xvi. (1862) 250 The form of words used, out of regard to tender consciences.
†b. as adv. Tenderly, impressionably. Obs.
1424Coventry 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.
a1635Naunton Fragm. Reg. (Arb.) 46 On such trespasses she was quick and tender, and would not spare any whatsoever. 1645Fuller Good Th. in Bad T. (1841) 3, I am choleric by my nature and tender by my temper. 1749Chesterfield Lett. (1792) II. 300 Men are in this respect tender too, and will sooner forgive an injury than an insult. 1857Buckle 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.
1705Stanhope Paraphr. I. 115 Which cannot but..make the Sense of present Sufferings more tender and afflicting. 1779Mirror 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.
c1400Brut 254 Þat þe Kyng, for tendre of his age, shulde be gouernede be tuelf grete Lordes of Engeland. a1691Boyle 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.
1668Dryden Evening's Love v. i, To disengage my heart from this furious tender, which I have for him. 1710S. 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. 1742Richardson 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.
1596Shakes. 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.
1591Sylvester Du Bartas i. iii. 296 A Tree, whose *tender-bearded Root being spred In dryest sand.
1804tr. Ovid's Remedy of Love i. 102 (Jod.) The *tender-bladed grain, Shot up to stalk.
1607Shakes. Cor. i. iii. 6 When yet hee was but *tender-bodied.
1650Jer. Taylor Holy Living (1727) 162 Be *tender-bowelled, pitiful, and gentle.
1849Clough Amours de Voy. i. 116 One of those natures Which have their perfect delight in the general *tender-domestic.
1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 48 As lookes the Mother on her lowly Babe, When Death doth close his *tender-dying Eyes.
1529More 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. 1683Kennett tr. Erasm. on Folly Pref. (1709) 8 Which makes me wonder at the tender-eared humour of this age. 1911J. Masefield Everlasting Mercy (1912) 88 Two hares..Wide-eyed and tender-eared.
1535Coverdale Gen. xxix. 17 Lea was *tender eyed [Wyclif, with blerid eyen]. 1591Percivall Sp. Dict., Pitañoso, bleare eied, tender eied. a1619Fletcher Wit without M. iii. i, You must not think your sister, so tender eyed as not to see your follies.
1823W. Taylor in Mirror 12 July, He [Thomson] was so *tender-faced..and so devilish difficult to shave.
1839Ure 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]. 1825Coleridge Aids Refl. Aph. xvii. 67 What need that Christians should be so tender-foreheaded as to be put out of countenance.
a1750A. Hill Wks. (1753) IV. 120 *Tender-handed stroke a nettle, And it stings you for your pains.
1605Shakes. Lear ii. iv. 176 Thy *tender-hefted [Qos hested] Nature shall not giue Thee o're to harshnesse.
1624Middleton Game at Chess iii. i, Thy conscience is so *tender-hoof'd of late, Every nail pricks it.
1598Sylvester Du Bartas ii. Ded. 12 Observe a while our *tender-imped Lark.
1620Venner Via Recta iv. 72 Some (That are very *tender mouthed) deeme this fish not so pleasant in taste. 1708Yorkshire-Racers 3 He's tender-mouthed, manag'd with easy bit.
1656Duchess of Newcastle True Relation in Life (1886) 313 Also I am *tender natured, for it troubles my conscience to kill a fly.
c1410Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxxiii, Þe redyer and moste *tendrenosed hounde. 1700R. Cromwell Let. in Eng. Hist. Rev. XIII. 120 The other tow tender nosed gentlemen would not come.
1916R. 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. 1965G. McInnes Road to Gundagai x. 158, I received a cap, but no badge (‘Not till you pass yer tenderpad test.’).
1819Keats Lamia ii. 238 The *tender-personed Lamia.
1679Evelyn Kal. Hort. (ed. 5) 38 Wallnuts, the Early nut: the *Tender-Scull, the Hard shell.
a1868G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 175 Crisp lips, straight nose, and *tender-slanted cheek.
1872Symonds Introd. Stud. Dante 248 Most *tender-souled of feudal heroes.
1853Mrs. 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.
a1821Keats Last Sonnet, Still, still to hear her *tender-taken breath, And so live ever—or else swoon to death.
1882F. M. Crawford Mr. Isaacs ii, Arab stallions,..sure-footed as a mule, and *tender-tempered as a baby.
1615R. 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.
1560Becon 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.
1954Bridgeport (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. 1984Defense Electronics 144/2 Mankind's natural psychological need to identify stable relationships, good friends, and symbiotic partnerships is the tender trap of international relations. 2002K. 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.
1542–3Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII, c. 2 §2 If..the saide Collectoures..tendre paiement of all suche money..within the saide three monethes. 1544tr. Littleton's Tenures (1574) 22 b, The Lorde maye tender a conuenient mariage wythout disperagyng of such an heire female. 1607Cowell 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. c1611Chapman Iliad xxii. 302 If ten or twenty times so much, as friends would rate thy price, Were tendered here. 1621H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 97 Sr John Bennett was ready to tender his apperaunce. 1730–6Bailey (folio), To Tender an Averment (in Law), to offer a Proof or Evidence in Court. a1774Tucker Lt. Nat. (1834) II. 120 In all courts of judgment the burden of the proof lies upon him who tenders the issue. 1848Wharton 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. 1885Law 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.
1602Heywood Wom. Kilde Wks. 1874 II. 108 Sir I accept it [money],..Come gentlemen, and see it tendred downe. 1603Shakes. 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.
1587Harrison England ii. xxii. (1877) i. 340 Then doo they tender licences, and offer large dispensations vnto him. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, ii. iii. 41 My gracious Lord, I tender you my seruice. 1607Dekker & Webster Hist. Sir T. Wyatt Wks. 1873 III. 110 Who was it yonder, that tendered vp his life To natures death? 1635A. Stafford Fem. Glory (1869) 149 All tendred their respects. 1713Addison Ct. Tariff ⁋21 As he tendered his ears. 1786tr. Beckford's Vathek (1868) 45 The governor..tendered every kind of refreshment. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vi. II. 101 Several Aldermen, who..loved neither Popery nor martial law, tendered their resignations. 1853C. Brontë Villette xii, She tendered not even a remonstrance. 1871R. Ellis Catullus lxv. 15 Yet mid such desolation a verse I tender.
fig.1588Shakes. 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.)
1562Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 §6 To tender or minister the Othe aforesayd, to every..Ecclesiasticall person. 1710Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) II. 355 The Oaths are also order'd to be tender'd to them. 1838Prescott Ferd. & Is. (1846) I. v. 222 The principal grandees..soon presented themselves from all quarters, in order to tender the customary oaths of allegiance. 1871Morley 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.
a1618Raleigh 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.
1865Pall 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. 1910Times 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
1613T. Godwin Rom. Antiq. (1658) 112 A certain ticket or token..at the tendring whereof..certain doles and measures of corn were given. a1677Barrow Wks. (1686) III. xxxvi. 404 His tendering upon so fair and easie terms an endless life in perfect joy and bliss. 1883Pall Mall G. 12 May 4/1 Mdlle. Jeanne receives the tendered homage with the condescension of well-acknowledged desert. 1955Times 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’. 1972G. 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.
1390Gower Conf. I. 270 The wo the children made, Wherof that al his herte tendreth. c1400Laud Troy Bk. 17447 The kynges herte ful sore tendres. c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xix. 430 Whan Reynawde herde his brother Rycharde speke so to hym, his herte tendred with all ryght sore. 1553Respublica 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.
1390Gower Conf. I. 115 Al naked bot of smok and scherte, To tendre with the kynges herte. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 14 b/2 He added therto wepyng..to tendre our hertis. 1678R. 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. a1718― Life Wks. 1726 I. 61 We were all sweetly tender'd and broken together. 1797Lamb To Chas. Lloyd 15 Deal with me, Omniscient Father! as thou judgest best And in thy season tender thou my heart. 1812Mrs. 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.
a1656Bp. Hall Specialties Life Rem. Wks. (1660) 10, I..þesought him to tender that hard condition.
c. To make tender or delicate. Now dial.
1725Cheyne Ess. Health vii. §7 Much and heavy Cloaths..tender and debilitate the Habit, and weaken the Strength. 1805R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. II. 1042 Manure..blanching and tendering the grass plants in the spots where it remains. 1886S.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.
1764Museum Rust. II. lxxvi. 261 The band seldom breaks there, unless it be made of too small a quantity, or of corn much tendered. 1806A. Hunter Culina (ed. 3) 182 Stew it till quite tender... When sufficiently tendered, take out the bones. 1874W. 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’. 1880Antrim & 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.
1439Rolls of Parlt. V. 8/2 Þeir worshipp which þei tendre most of any ertly thing. 1469Paston Lett. II. 352 Be my trowthe ther is no gentylwoman on lyve that my herte tendreth more then it dothe her. 1524[see f.]. 1579Gosson Sch. Abuse (Arb.) 30 Dion..forbiddeth.. gentlewomen that tender their name and honor, to come to Theaters. 1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 87 It must needs be more cause of joy to all that tender the glory of God. a1677Barrow Wks. (1687) I. viii. 98 By our charity and benignity to those whose good he tenders. 1786Francis the Philanthropist III. 72 He advised me, as I tendered my own safety, to keep aloof from his house. 1828Southey 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.
c1430Life St. Kath. (1884) 9 Besechynge ȝowre hyȝe excellence to tendre our desyr and to graunte vs..a graciouse answer. 1523Skelton Garl. Laurel 56 My supplycacyon to thee I arrecte, Whereof I beseche you to tender the effecte. 1593Shakes. 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.
1442Hen. 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.]. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxxxi. 311 To knowe yf he wolde receyue you..and for pytie somwhat to tendre your nede and necessyte. 1581T. Howell Deuises (1879) 183 The Lyon doth tender the beast that doth yeelde. 1649Roberts 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.
1449Rolls of Parlt. V. 152/2 Fadres of the Church, that shuld most specially tendir þe dere bought monnys soule. 1556J. Heywood Spider & F. lxvii. 15 He tenderlie tendreth his childerne and wife. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. ix. (1623) 617 He rather ought to haue tendred him as a Father. a1711Ken Hymns Festiv. Poet. Wks. 1721 I. 386 You in their Infant-age, To tender them engage. 1844Mrs. 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]. 1633T. 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’.
1490Warrant in Coventry Leet Bk. 539 Fayle ye not herof..as ye & every of yowe tendre our singler pleasir and woll eshewe þe contrarie. 1524Hen. 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. 1672Dk. 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. 1704N. 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.
1635J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Banish'd Virg. 66 Parting from her deerely-*tendred girle.
1577B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 92 b, Diligent in the *tendering of the tree. 1640Bp. Reynolds Passions xxvii, Out of a tendering of its own safety. 1684O. Heywood Diaries (1885) IV. 104, I..poured out my soul to god for him, and now at last see some tenderings. 1762J. Woolman Jrnl. viii. (1840) 115 Pure gospel love was felt to the tendering of some of our hearts.
c1694Penn in Janney Life xxvii. (1856) 388 In a *tendering and living power she broke out.., ‘Let us all prepare [etc.].’ 1760J. Rutty Spir. Diary (ed. 2) 154 A sweet humbling, tendering time. 1824Summary 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.
1905Westm. 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. |