tender (adj.) Copy link Outline 1. tĕner, ĕra, ĕrum (soft, gentle, sensitive)2. tĕnellus (dimin. of preced.3. tĕnellŭlus (dimin. of preced., hence doubly dimin.4. mollis (soft, mild5. dēlĭcātus (rare)6. indulgens, ntis (fond, kind, disposed to make allowances)7. pius8. sometimes expr. by dimin. • tender (adj.): 1. tĕner, ĕra, ĕrum (soft, gentle, sensitive): a tall and t. palm-tree, procera et t. palma, Cic. Leg. 1, 1, 2: the t. roots of reeds, t. radices arundinum, Caes. B. C. 3, 58: the t. soles of the feet, t. plantae, Virg. E. 10, 49: apples with t. bloom, t. lanugine mala, id. ib. 2, 51: a t. fowl, t. gallina, Hor. S. 2, 4, 20: a t. calf, t. vitulus, id. Od. 4, 2, 54: a t. boy, t. puer. Prop. 2, 5, 10: tenderer years, teneriores anni, Quint. 2, 2 3: from the tenderest years, a tenero, id. 1, 2, 18: in t. youth, in teneris, Virg. G. 2, 272: very t., praetener, Plin. 25, 13, 99. Fig.: virtue is t. and tractable in friendship, virtus est in amicitia t. et tractabilis, Cic. Am. 13, 48: a t. heart, t. cor, Tib. 1, 1, 64: a t. poet, t. poeta, Ov. R. Am. 757: a t. poem, t. poema, Cic. Div. 1, 31, 66: v. amatory. [N.B.--The phr. a t. unguiculis, de t. ungui, usu. trans. "from the tenderest years," more prob. mean "entirely, utterly:" cf. Orelli on Hor. Od. 3, 6, 24. Also "t. passion" is perh. most nearly expr. by dulcis amor, id. Od. 1, 9, 15, since t. Amor is always the t. God of love, Ov. A. A. 1, 7: Tib. 2, 6, 1.] 2. tĕnellus (dimin. of preced.: rare): pretty, t., little Casina, bella t. Casina, Pl. Cas. 1, 20: Stat. 3. tĕnellŭlus (dimin. of preced., hence doubly dimin.: very rare): a maid tenderer than the tenderest little kid, puella t. delicatior haedo, Catul. 17, 15. 4. mollis (soft, mild: esp. freq. in poet.) t. cheeks, m. genae, Ov. H. 10, 44: t. doves, m. columbae, Hor. Od. 1, 37, 18: t. age, mollis aetas, Ov. A. A. 1, 10: m. anni, id. H. 1, 111: a t. gaze, m. vultus, id. M. 10, 609. Fig.: t. verses, m. versus, id. Trist. 2, 307: a very t. poem, carmen mollissimum, Cic. Fin. 5, 1, 3: hard hearts are conquered by t. entreaties, vincuntur m. pectora dura prece, Tib. 3, 4, 76: t. laments, m. querelae, Hor. Od. 2, 9, 18: v. pathetic. Join: m. tenerque, Cic. Brut. 9, 38: t. ac m., id. Div. 1, 31, 66. Catul. uses the dimin. mollĭcŭlus (16, 4) and mollĭcellus (25, 10): v. soft. 5. dēlĭcātus (rare): a t. little she-goat, d. capella, Catul. 20, 10: t. sheep, d. oves, Plin. Ep. 2, 11, extr. Join: d. tenerque, Plin. 19, 8, 41, § 137. Fig.: a tenderer and softer view of life, delicatior molliorque vitae ratio, Cic. Fin. 5, 5, 12. 6. indulgens, ntis (fond, kind, disposed to make allowances): a state by no means t. towards its prisoners, civitas minime in captivos i., Liv. 22, 61, ad init.: the more loving and t. the very name of a mother is, quo ipsum nomen amantius indulgentiusque maternum, Cic. Clu. 5, 12. 7. pius: v. affectionate. 8. sometimes expr. by dimin.: a t. age, aetatula, Cic. Fin. 5, 20, 55: a t. flower, flosculus, id. Off. 2, 12, 43: a t. maiden, virguncula, Juv. 13, 40: a t. babe, infantulus, App. M. 8. p. 207, ad fin.: also by way of endearment: my t. little heart, corculum, Pl. Cas. 4, 4, 14 (q. v.): "t. chickens" (iron.), turturillae, Sen. Ep. 96, 5: the expr. is made more intense by joining a dimin. adj. and subs.: her t. eyes are swollen with weeping, flendo turgiduli fiunt ocelli, Catul. 3, 18: or by two dimin.: Tullia, our t. little darling, Tulliola, deliciolae nostrae, Cic. Att. 1, 8, extr. Phr.: to make food t. (by cooking), cibum mitigare, Cic. N. D. 2, 60, 151: the part is slightly t. to the touch, tactu locus leviter indolescit, Cels. 8, 9, ad init.: t. looks, oculi fatentes ignem (of lovers), Ov. A. A. 1, 573.