Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “tenter” come from?

tenter (French) comes from Middle French tenter, from Old French tempter, from Latin temptō, from Latin tendō, from Ancient Greek τένων, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.

tenter (French): to tempt; to try, risk

Definitions

  1. to tempt; to try, risk

Ancestry of “tenter”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchtenter—
2Old Frenchtempterto tempt; to act as a temptation
3Latintemptō—
4Latintendō—
5Ancient Greekτένωνtendon, sinew
6Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

Words derived from “tenter”

  • tentateur
  • retenter
  • tenta
  • tante
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →