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tender (1)

ten·der [ téndər ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. physically painful: hurting or unusually sensitive when touched or pressed

2. with gentle feeling: showing care, gentleness, and feeling

3. kind and sympathetic: sensitive and caring toward others and often feeling emotions intensely
a tender disposition

4. pleasantly soft for eating: soft enough for the teeth to go through easily without much chewing
a tender juicy steak

5. young and defenseless: vulnerably young, weak, and inexperienced
at a tender age

6. fragile: so delicate, soft, or weak as to be hurt, crushed, or broken easily
tender flower petals

7. botany agriculture needing protection from harsh weather: easily damaged or killed by unsuitable weather or conditions, especially frost and cold
a tender plant

[13th century. Via French tendre< Latin tener "delicate, tender"]

ten·der·ly adverb
ten·der·ness noun

Cultural Note

Tender is the Night, a novel (1934) by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set on the French Riviera in the 1930s, it focuses on a group of glamorous U.S. expatriates. Psychologist Richard Diver's attempts to nurse his wife and former patient, Nicole, and his involvement with a visiting woman actor, lead to his mental collapse. A powerful depiction of human frailty, it is also admired for the elegance of its prose.

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