Collins English-English Dictionary

tender ['tεndə]

1. 1. adj easily broken, cut, or crushed; soft; not tough

   a tender steak

2. 2. adj easily damaged; vulnerable or sensitive

   a tender youth

   at a tender age

3. 3. adj having or expressing warm and affectionate feelings

   a tender smile

4. 4. adj kind, merciful, or sympathetic

   a tender heart

5. 5. adj arousing warm feelings; touching

   a tender memory

6. 6. adj gentle and delicate

   a tender breeze

7. 7. adj requiring care in handling; ticklish

   a tender question

8. 8. adj painful or sore

   a tender wound

9. 9. adj sensitive to moral or spiritual feelings

   a tender conscience

10. 10. adj [postpositive; foll by of] careful or protective

    tender of one's emotions

11. 11. adj (of a sailing vessel) easily keeled over by a wind; crank - Compare stiff

12. 12. vt. [tr] [rare] to make tender

13. 13. vt. to treat tenderly

14. 14. vt. [Etymology] C13: from Old French tendre, from Latin tener delicate

tender ['tεndə]

1. 1. vt. [tr] to give, present, or offer

   to tender one's resignation

   tender a bid

2. 2. vi. [intr; foll by for] to make a formal offer or estimate for (a job or contract)

3. 3. vt. [tr] [law] to offer (money or goods) in settlement of a debt or claim

4. 4. n the act or an instance of tendering; offer

5. 5. n [commerce] a formal offer to supply specified goods or services at a stated cost or rate

6. 6. n something, esp money, used as an official medium of payment

   legal tender

7. 7. n [Etymology] C16: from Anglo-French tendre, from Latin tendere to extend; see tend¹

tender ['tεndə]

1. 1. n a small boat, such as a dinghy, towed or carried by a yacht or ship

2. 2. n a vehicle drawn behind a steam locomotive to carry the fuel and water

3. 3. n an ancillary vehicle used to carry supplies, spare parts, etc, for a mobile operation, such as an outside broadcast

4. 4. n a person who tends

5. 5. n [Etymology] C15: variant of attender