Definition of "tender"

[…] poore Lord, is't IThat chaſe thee from thy Countrie, and expoſeThoſe tender limbes of thine […]

c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene ii]

Be careful: that area is tender.

2006, Shrek, spoken by Shrek (Mike Myers)

the tender and delicate woman among you

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Deuteronomy 28:56

The Matrix is telling my brain this steak is tender, succulent, and juicy.

2001, Joey Pantolino (character), The Matrix (movie)

Our Bodies are not naturally more Tender than our Faces.

1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […]

The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], James 5:11

You, that are thus so tender o'er his follies, Will never do him good.

c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene iii]

I am choleric by my nature, and tender by my temper.

1645, Thomas Fuller, Good Thoughts in Bad Times

And you of tender years can't know the fears that your elders grew by.

1970, Graham Nash (lyrics and music), “Teach Your Children”

The court later expressly adopted the tender years doctrine, which states that a child is incapable of contributory negligence if he is less than seven years old […] .

2001 October 15, Appeals Court of Illinios (Second District) in Appelhans v. McFall

The lesser griefs that may be said,⁠That breathe a thousand tender vows,⁠Are but as servants in a houseWhere lies the master newly dead; […]

1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], canto XX, page 33

Things that are tender and unpleasing.

1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Cunning”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret

I love Valentine, Whose life's as tender to me as my soul!

c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene iv]

tender of property

1790 November, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […]

The civil authority should be tender of the honour of God and religion.

a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion to Societies

Stay, and breath awhile. Thou haſt redeem'd thy loſt opinion And ſhew'd thou makeſt ſome tender of my life In this faire reſcue thou haſt brought to mee.

c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene iv], page 72, column 1

To such as are wealthy, live plenteously, at ease, […] these viands are to be forborne, if they be inclined to, or suspect melancholy, as they tender their healths […].

1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps

Putnam Fadeless Dyes will not injure any material. Boiling water does tender some materials. […] Also, silk fibers are very tender when wet and care should be take not to boil them too vigorously.

c. 1947, Putnam Fadeless Dyes [flyer packaged with granulated dye]

The angrie king hath banished me the court:And therefore as thou louest and tendrest me,Be thou my aduocate vnto these peeres.

1594 (first publication), Christopher Marlow[e], The Trovblesome Raigne and Lamentable Death of Edvvard the Second, King of England: […], London: […] [Eliot’s Court Press] for Henry Bell, […], published 1622, (please specify the page)

Firſt, heauen be the record to my ſpeech,In the deuotion of a ſubiects loue,Tendering the precious ſafetie of my Prince,And free from other misbegotten hate,Come I appealant to rhis [sic] Princely preſence.

1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene 1], page 23, column 1

And ſo good Capulet, which name I tenderAs dearely as my owne, be ſatisfied.

c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i]

Half the coal was out of the tender, half the fire out of the box, half the trucks were off the track, so violent was the stopping.

1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter XII, in Capricornia‎, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 201

Of locomotive interest was "an engine house for spare engines which was about 60 ft. × 51 ft.; on the outside of this was an immense turntable sufficient to turn the engine and tender at once."

1944 July and August, Reginald B. Fellows, “The Failure of Bricklayers Arms as a Passenger Station—I”, in Railway Magazine, page 211

The transfer by tender of some 1,300 mail bags was effected smartly, and the "Ocean Mails Special" train was ready at 9.19 a.m.

1944 July and August, Charles E. Lee, “The "City of Truro"”, in Railway Magazine, page 202

A passenger on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth died this week following an accident while boarding from a tender (the small boats that carry passengers from ship to shore or port when the cruise ship anchors at sea). […] Gangway ramps can, on occasion, break free of either the ship or the tender, causing passengers or crew to fall into the sea.

2015 April 1, Teresa Machan, “Queen Elizabeth passenger dies boarding a cruise ship tender ”, in The Daily Telegraph (Travel)‎, archived from the original on 13 April 2015

Now, with scallop populations under pressure, Mr. Sewell is one of only about 30 active scallop divers left in his state. He and his tender, Jason Simmons, have harvested scallops together each winter and early spring for the past seven years. The rest of the year he catches bluefin tuna and dives for sea urchins.

2015 August 18, Christoph Gelfand, “’Diving for Scallops’”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, archived from the original on 2022-12-25

The first of two willful violations OSHA found were the diver and dive tender "performing dredging operations in a canal with zero-visibility, did not have the experience and training in the use of tools, equipment, systems, techniques, and emergency procedures which are required to perform these underwater tasks in a safe manner."

2022 October 19, David J. Neal, “Broward company 'ignored safety standards and a young worker has died,' OSHA says”, in Miami Herald‎, Miami, F.L.: McClatchy, archived from the original on 22 June 2023

Meantime, I'll dig up what I can, but if they start fishing again, I start tendering.

1998, Dana Stabenow, Killing Grounds, page 103

Polonius: Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them? // Ophelia: I do not know, my lord, what I should think. // Polonius: Marry, I'll teach you. Think yourself a baby That you have ta'en these tenders for true pay Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly, Or — not to crack the wind of the poor phrase Running it thus — you'll tender me a fool.Herein, the Bard plays with the word "tender" most liberally. The boldened instance of the word is that which pertains to the instant sense.

c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene iii]

[...] if she should make tender of her love, 'tis very possible he'll scorn it; for the man,—as you know all,—hath a contemptible spirit.

1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene iii]

You see how all conditions, how all minds, […] tender down Their services to Lord Timon.

c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act I, scene i]

I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

1864 November 21, Abraham Lincoln (signed) or John Hay, letter to Mrs. Bixby in Boston

Hank Mann Tenders You Holiday Greetings

1920 December 25, Motion Picture News, volume XXIII, number 1, page 225