I. Act., to stretch, stretch out, distend, extend, etc. (class.; cf.: extendo, explico).
A. Lit.
1. In gen.: “suntne igitur insidiae, tendere plagas?” Cic. Off. 3, 17, 68: “plagam, Pac. ap. Fest. s. v. nequitum, p. 162 Müll.: quia non rete accipitri tennitur,” Ter. Phorm. 2, 2, 16 sq.; cf.: “retia (alicui),” Prop. 2, 32 (3, 30), 20; Hor. Epod. 2, 33; Ov. M. 4, 513; 7, 701; 8, 331 al.: “casses alicui,” Tib. 1, 6, 5: “intumescit collum, nervi tenduntur,” Col. 6, 14, 4: “chordam,” Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 55: “arcum,” to bend, Verg. A. 7, 164; Hor. C. 2, 10, 20; Ov. M. 2, 604; 5, 55; 5, 63; Stat. S. 3, 1, 51.—Hence, poet. transf.: “sagittas Arcu,” to shoot, hurl, Hor. C. 1, 29, 9; cf.: “spicula cornu,” Verg. A. 9, 606: “pariterque oculos telumque,” id. ib. 5, 508: “barbiton,” to tune, Hor. C. 1, 1, 34; cf.: “tympana tenta tonant palmis,” Lucr. 2, 618: “validā lora manu,” Ov. Am. 3, 2, 72: “vela (Noti),” to swell, Verg. A. 3, 268: “praecipiti carbasa tenta Noto,” Ov. H. 10, 30: “praetorium,” to stretch out, pitch, Caes. B. C. 3, 82: pelles in ordine tentae, Lucil. ap. Non. 181, 30: “conopia,” Prop. 3, 11 (4, 10), 45: grabatos restibus, Lucil. ap. Non. 181, 29: “cubilia,” Hor. Epod. 12, 12: manus ad caeli caerula templa, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 51 Vahl.); so, manus ad caelum, Caes. B. C. 2, 5; Verg. A. 3, 176: “bracchia ad caelum,” Ov. M. 6, 279; 9, 293; “for which: bracchia caelo,” id. ib. 2, 580; “9, 210: ad legatos atque exercitum supplices manus tendunt,” Caes. B. C. 2, 12; so, “manus ad aliquem,” id. B. G. 2, 13: “ad sidera palmas,” Verg. A. 1, 93: “super aequora palmas,” Ov. M. 8, 849: “ad aliquem orantia bracchia,” id. P. 2, 9, 65: “manus supplices dis immortalibus,” Cic. Font. 17, 48; cf.: “vobis supplex manus tendit patria communis,” id. Cat. 4, 9, 18; so, “manus alicui,” Caes. B. G. 7, 48; Ov. M. 3, 723; id. H. 10, 146: “manus supinas,” Liv. 3, 50, 5: “manus ripae ulterioris amore,” Verg. A. 6, 314; cf. “also: Graecia tendit dexteram Italiae,” stretches forth, reaches, Cic. Phil. 10, 4, 9; id. Prov. Cons. 4, 9: “(conjux) parvum patri tendebat Iulum,” reaches out, Verg. A. 2, 674: “tu munera supplex Tende, petens pacem,” id. G. 4, 535: “quo tendant ferrum,” aim, direct, id. A. 5, 489: “qua nunc se ponti plaga caerula tendit,” stretches itself out, extends, Lucr. 5, 481. —
2. In partic.: “nervum tendere, in mal. part.,” Auct. Priap. 70; cf. Mart. 11, 60, 3.—Hence, tentus, a lecherous man, Mart. 11, 73, 3; Auct. Priap. 20; 27; 34 al.; and tenta , ōrum, n., = membrum virile, Cat. 80, 6.—
B. Trop.: insidiae tenduntur alicui, are spread out, laid (qs. like nets), Cic. Rosc. Com. 16, 46: “insidias alicui,” Sall. C. 27, 2; Suet. Caes. 35: “omnes insidias animis,” Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47: “animum vigilem,” to strain, exert, Stat. Achill. 1, 543: longo tendit praecordia voto, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Ol. 66; cf.: “sunt quibus in Satirā videor nimis acer et ultra Legem tendere opus,” i. e. to heighten, aggravate, Hor. S. 2, 1, 2: “aestivam sermone benigno noctem,” to protract, extend, id. Ep. 1, 5, 11: “(lunam) Tanto posse minus cum Signis tendere cursum,” to direct, Lucr. 5, 631: “cursum ex acie in Capitolia,” Sil. 9, 216: “cursum ad agmina suorum,” id. 10, 73: “iter ad naves,” Verg. A. 1, 656: “iter pennis,” id. ib. 6, 240: “ad dominum iter,” Ov. M. 2, 547: “cursum unde et quo,” Liv. 23, 34, 5: “iter in Hispaniam, Auct. B. Afr. 95: cunctis civibus lucem ingenii et consilii sui porrigens atque tendens,” tendering, offering, Cic. de Or. 1, 40, 184.—
II. Neutr.
A. To direct one's self or one's course; to aim, strive, go, travel, march, tend, bend one's course in any direction (class.).
1. Lit.: “dubito an Venusiam tendam,” Cic. Att. 16, 5, 3: “Beneventum,” Hor. S. 1, 5, 71: “cursuque amens ad limina tendit,” Verg. A. 2, 321: “ad castra,” Liv. 9, 37: “in castra,” id. 10, 36: “ad aedes,” Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 89: “ad domum Bruti et Cassii,” Suet. Caes. 85: “ad portus,” Ov. M. 15, 690: “Ciconum ad oras,” id. ib. 10, 3: “ad metam,” id. ib. 15, 453; cf.: “cum alter ad alterum tenderemus,” Plin. Ep. 1, 5, 9: “unde venis? et Quo tendis?” Hor. S. 1, 9, 63; id. Ep. 1, 15, 11; id. C. 3, 3, 70: “quo tendere pergunt,” Verg. A. 6, 198; Nep. Milt. 1, 6: “tendimus huc (sc. in Orcum) omnes,” Ov. M. 10, 34 et saep. —
b. Of things concrete or abstract, to go, proceed, extend, stretch, etc.: “in quem locum quaeque (imago) tendat,” Lucr. 4, 179: “levibus in sublime tendentibus,” Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 11: “sursum tendit palmes,” Col. 5, 6, 28: “simulacra viis derectis omnia tendunt,” Lucr. 4, 609.—Poet., with acc. of direction: “tunc aethera tendit,” Luc. 7, 477: “dextera (via), quae Ditis magni sub moenia tendit,” Verg. A. 6, 541: “gula tendit ad stomachum, is ad ventrem,” reaches, extends, Plin. 11, 37, 66, § 176: “Taurus mons ad occasum tendens,” id. 5, 27, 27, § 97; so id. 5, 5, 5, § 35; 16, 30, 53, § 122; cf.: “Portae Caspiae, quae per Iberiam in Sarmatas tendunt,” id. 6, 13, 15, § 40: “seu mollis quā tendit Ionia,” Prop. 1, 6, 31.—
2. Trop.
a. In gen., to aim, strive, be directed or inclined, to tend in any direction: “ad reliqua alacri tendebamus animo,” Cic. Div. 2, 2, 4; cf.: “ad altiora et non concessa tendere,” Liv. 4, 13, 4: “ad majora,” Quint. 2, 4, 20; 12, 2, 27: “ad eloquium,” Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 17: “ad suum,” Liv. 4, 9, 5; cf.: “ad Carthaginienses,” id. 24, 5, 8: “cum alii alio tenderent,” id. 24, 28, 1: “in diversum sententiae tendebant,” id. 36, 10, 7: tenes, quorsum haec tendant, quae loquor, tend, look, = spectent, Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 81; Hor. S. 2, 7, 21. —
(β).
To exert one's self, to strive, endeavor (mostly poet.); with inf.: “(Laocoon) manibus tendit divellere nodos,” Verg. A. 2, 220: “pasta (nitedula) rursus Ire foras pleno tendebat corpore frustra,” Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 31: captae civitati leges imponere, Liv. 6, 38, 7; 24, 35; 10, 1: “quod efficere tendimus,” Quint. 9, 1, 21: “fratresque tendentes opaco Pelion imposuisse Olympo,” Hor. C. 3, 4, 51: “tendit disertus haberi,” id. Ep. 1, 19, 16: “aqua tendit rumpere plumbum,” id. ib. 1, 10, 20; Pers. 5, 139; Juv. 10, 154. — Absol.: “miles tendere, inde ad jurgium,” insists, persists, Ter. Eun. 4, 1, 12. —
b. In partic., to exert one's self in opposition, to strive, try, endeavor, contend (class. but not freq. till the Aug. per.): “nec nos obniti contra nec tendere tantum Sufficimus,” Verg. A. 5, 21; cf.: nec mora nec requies; “vasto certamine tendunt,” id. ib. 12, 553: “Petreius ubi videt Catilinam contra ac ratus erat magnā vi tendere,” Sall. C. 60, 5; cf.: “summā vi,” Liv. 32, 32, 7 Drak.: “adversus, etc.,” id. 34, 34, 1: “contra,” id. 35, 51, 6: “ultra,” id. 24, 31, 4: “acrius,” Tac. A. 2, 74; cf.: “acrius contra, ut, etc.,” Liv. 3, 15, 2; so with ut, id. 4, 7, 8; with ne, id. 4, 8, 6: “quid tendit? cum efficere non possit, ut, etc.,” what does he strive for? to what do his efforts tend? Cic. Fin. 2, 5, 16; cf.: “nihil illi tendere contra,” Verg. A. 9, 377. —
B. For tentoria tendere, to set up tents, to be under tents, be encamped, to encamp: “qui sub vallo tenderent mercatores,” Caes. B. G. 6, 37; cf.: “omnibus extra vallum jussis tendere, Frontin. Strat. 4, 1, 18: vallo tendetis in illo,” Luc. 7, 328: “hic Dolopum manus, hic saevus tendebat Achilles,” Verg. A. 2, 29: “legio latis tendebat in arvis,” id. ib. 8, 605: “isdem castris,” Liv. 44, 13, 12; 27, 46; 44, 5; Suet. Galb. 12; 19; cf.: “isdem hibernis tendentes,” Tac. H. 1, 55: “Lugduni tendentes,” id. ib. 1, 59: “cum multitudo laxius tenderet,” Curt. 3, 8, 18; 5, 7, 6; 7, 2, 37: “tendere in campis,” id. 10, 7, 20. — Hence, tensus , a, um, P. a., stretched out, drawn tight, strained, tense (rare): “rectissima linea tensa,” Quint. 3, 6, 83: “collum,” id. 11, 3, 82; cf.: “remissis magis quam tensis (digitis),” id. 11, 3, 99: “vox tensior (opp. remissior),” id. 11, 3, 42: “lacerti,” Luc. 7, 469: “rudentes,” id. 2, 683: “frons,” Lucr. 6, 1195: “tormento citharāque tensior,” Auct. Priap. 6 and 70.—Sup. and adv. do not occur.
