English
tenace
Tenace comes from French tenace ‘tenacious, persistent’, from Spanish tenaza ‘pincers’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘hold, grasp’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtenāx‘tenacious’
- Spanishc. 1500–presenttenaza‘pincers’
- Frenchc. 1600–presenttenace‘tenacious, persistent’
- Englishtodaysame form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘hold, grasp’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtenāx‘tenacious’
- Spanishc. 1500–presenttenaza‘pincers’
- Frenchc. 1600–presenttenace‘tenacious, persistent’
- Englishtodaysame form
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’
tight, tone, obtain, ton, entertainment, tune, maintenance, tender, tonic, pristine, pertinent, tendon, tetanus, tantra, maintainer, countenance, tendinitis, retentive, hypotenuse, 64 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 19 more
through Latin teneō ‘hold, grasp’
continue, content, contain, continuous, retain, sustain, continent, tennis, detention, retention, continuum, rein, detain, abstain, tenant, pertain, tenor, abstinence, retinue, incontinence, tenet, tenement, sustenance, abstention, abstinent, continence, tenable, 21 more
Today it means
noun An interrupted sequence of high cards of the same suit, such as the king and jack or the ace and queen.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / tenace