Where does “tender” come from?
tender (Middle English) comes from Old French tendre, from Latin tendere, from Proto-Indo-European tend-, from Proto-Indo-European temh₂- — to stretch, string; to cut.
tender (Middle English): Alternative form of tinder
Definitions
- Alternative form of tinder
Ancestry of “tender”, step by step
tender traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French tendre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | tendre | tender; to stretch |
| 2 | Latin | tendere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | tend- | to stretch, to extend; to split, cut off |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | temh₂- | to stretch, string; to cut |
via Old English tynder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | tynder | tinder |
| 2 | Old Norse | tundr | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | tundrą | tinder |
via Anglo-Norman tender
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | tender | — |