teneri

tĕner, ĕra, ĕrum, adj. [v. teneo; cf. tenuis, and Sanscr. tanu], soft, delicate, tender (class.; cf. mollis).

I.

Lit.

A.

In gen.:

nihil est tam tenerum, neque tam flexibile neque quod tam facile sequatur quocumque ducas quam oratio,

Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 176; cf. id. Brut. 79, 274;

and v. II. infra): locus bipalio subactus siet beneque terra tenera siet,

Cato, R. R. 45, 1; cf.:

serito in loco, ubi terra tenerrima erit,

id. ib. 151, 2:

in tenero corpore,

Lucr. 3, 765:

procera et tenera palma,

Cic. Leg. 1, 1, 2:

radices harundinum,

Caes. B. C. 3, 58:

teneris arboribus incisis atque inflexis,

id. B. G. 2, 17:

cana legam tenerā lanugine mala,

Verg. E. 2, 51:

plantae,

id. ib. 10, 49:

caules,

Hor. S. 1, 3, 116:

gramen,

id. C. 4, 12, 9:

rami,

Ov. M. 2, 359:

uvae,

id. R. Am. 83:

prata tenerrima,

id. A. A. 1, 299:

aër,

thin, transparent, Lucr. 2, 145; Verg. A. 9, 699; Ov. M. 4, 616:

alvus,

Cels. 3, 18:

gallina,

tender, Hor. S. 2, 4, 20; cf.:

ferae tenuiores ad epulas,

Gell. 17, 15, 7:

caseus,

Prud. Cath. 3, 70:

Dianam tenerae dicite virgines,

Hor. C. 1, 21, 1; so,

virgines,

id. ib. 4, 1, 26:

conjux,

id. ib. 1, 1, 26 [p. 1855] Lycidas, id. ib. 1, 4, 19:

saltatores,

effeminate, Cic. Pis. 36, 89:

vestem Purpuream teneris quoque Maecenatibus aptam,

Juv. 12, 39:

spado,

id. 1, 22.—

B.

In partic., of tender age, young: tener ipse etiam atque puellus, Lucil. ap. Prisc. p. 697 P.:

tener et rudis,

Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47:

tener in cunis et sine voce puer,

Prop. 2, 6, 10:

(annus) tener et lactens puerique simillimus aevo Vere novo est,

Ov. M. 15, 201:

mares,

id. ib. 10, 84:

equis vetulis teneros anteponere solemus,

Cic. Lael. 19, 67:

grex,

Phaedr. 2, 4, 14:

vitulus,

Hor. C. 4, 2, 54:

haedus,

id. ib. 3, 18, 5:

tigres,

Val. Fl. 1, 491:

manes,

the shades of children, Stat. Th. 6, 121.—Of plants, tenerae res, Verg. G. 2, 343:

teneri anni,

youthful, tender, Plin. Pan. 15, 1; so,

teneriores anni (opp. ferociores),

Quint. 2, 2, 3:

aetates,

id. 1, 10, 34:

a teneris, ut Graeci dicunt, unguiculis,

i. e. from childhood, Cic. Fam. 1, 6, 2;

for which: de tenero ungui,

Hor. C. 3, 6, 24.— Absol.:

a tenero,

Quint. 1, 2, 18; cf.:

ut (plantae) eam partem caeli spectent, cui ab tenero consueverunt,

Col. 5, 6, 20. — Subst.: tĕnĕri, ōrum, m., the young, boys:

parcendum est teneris,

Juv. 14, 215; Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 59;

also: in teneris,

in early youth, Verg. G. 2, 272; Quint. 1, 3, 13.—

II.

Trop.

A.

In gen., soft, delicate, tender, etc.:

est naturale in animis tenerum quiddam atque molle,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 12:

virtus est in amicitia tenera atque tractabilis,

id. Lael. 13, 48:

tenerior animus,

id. Fam. 5, 21, 3; cf.:

tenerae Mentes,

Hor. C. 3, 24, 52; so,

animi,

id. S. 1, 4, 128:

pudor,

Ov. H. 2, 143:

est oratio mollis et tenera et ita flexibilis, ut, etc.,

Cic. Or. 16, 52; cf. id. Brut. 9, 38; cf. I. supra init.; so,

versus,

Hor. A. P. 246; Ov. A. A. 2, 273:

carmen,

id. Am. 3, 8, 2.— Transf., of elegiac poets:

poëta,

Cat. 35, 1; Ov. R. Am. 757:

Propertius,

id. A. A. 3, 333:

molli tenerāque voce,

Quint. 11, 3, 23:

tenera delicataque modulandi voluptas,

id. 9, 4, 31 et saep.—

B.

In partic., of youthful weakness, tender: tener animus (pueri), Anton. ap. Cic. Att. 14, 13, A, 3; cf.:

horum erroribus teneri statim et rudes animi imbuuntur,

Tac. Or. 29; so,

adhuc mentes,

Quint. 2, 4, 5.—Hence, adv., tenderly, delicately, softly.

a.

tĕnĕrē (post-Aug.):

dicere,

Tac. Or. 26:

recitare,

Plin. Ep. 4, 27, 1:

diligere,

Vulg. Gen. 44, 20. — Comp.:

complosit manus,

Petr. 24.— Sup.:

derasus cortex,

Plin. 23, 3, 35, § 72.—

b.

‡ tĕnĕrĭter, only once cited:

teneriter quidam efferunt, ut celeriter: alii vero tenere ut libere,

Charis. p. 162 P.