I.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 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.—
