arch. or dial. [f. TENDER a.: cf. OF. tendr-ir.]
† 1. intr. To become tender; to be affected with pity; to grow soft, soften. Obs.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 270. The wo the children made, Wherof that al his herte tendreth.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 17447. The kynges herte ful sore tendres.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xix. 430. Whan Reynawde herde his brother Rycharde speke so to hym, his herte tendred with all ryght sore.
1553. Respublica, III. iv. 753. I on youe soo tendre.
2. trans. To make tender (in various senses). a. To render gentle, compassionate, or contrite; to soften, ? Obs. exc. among Quakers.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 115. Al naked bot of smok and scherte, To tendre with the kynges herte.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 14 b/2. He added therto wepyng … to tendre our hertis.
1678. R. Barclay, Apol. Quakers, V. xvi. 147. It works powerfully upon the Soul, mightily tenders it, and breaks it.
16[?]. Penn, To J. H., etc. (Cent.). I pray God forgive you, open your eyes, tender your hearts. Ibid. (a. 1718), Life, Wks. 1726, I. 61. We were all sweetly tender’d and broken together.
1797. Lamb, To Chas. Lloyd, 15. Deal with me, Omniscient Father! as thou judgest best And in thy season tender thou my heart.
1812. Mrs. Fry, in Clay, Prison Chaplain (1861), 81. I heard weeping, and I thought they [female convicts] appeared much tendered.
† b. To make less stringent or strict; to mitigate. Obs. rare.
a. 1656. Bp. Hall, Specialties Life, Rem. Wks. (1660), 10. I … besought him to tender that hard condition.
c. To make tender or delicate. Now dial.
1725. Cheyne, Ess. Health, vii. § 7. Much and heavy Cloaths … tender and debilitate the Habit, and weaken the Strength.
1805. R. W. Dickson, Pract. Agric., II. 1042. Manure … blanching and tendering the grass plants in the spots where it remains.
1886. S. W. Linc. Gloss., Tender, to make tender; as ‘It’ll tender him for the winter.’
d. To make (physically) tender, soft, or weak; to soften, weaken. Now dial. and techn.
1764. Museum Rust., II. lxxvi. 261. The band seldom breaks there, unless it be made of too small a quantity, or of corn much tendered.
1806. A. Hunter, Culina (ed. 3), 182. Stew it till quite tender…. When sufficiently tendered, take out the bones.
1874. W. Crookes, Dyeing & Calico-print., II. vii. 517. If too strongly acid or alkaline it [the mordant] will have a corrosive action, and the goods, as it is technically called, will be ‘tendered.’
1880. Antrim & Down Gloss., s.v., The fibre (of flax) tendered by excess of moisture.
3. To feel or act tenderly towards; to regard or treat with tenderness: with various shades of meaning. a. To have a tender regard for, to hold dear; to be concerned for or solicitous about; to treat with consideration; to regard, care for, value, esteem. arch. See also f.
1439. Rolls of Parlt., V. 8/2. Þeir worshipp which þei tendre most of any ertly thing.
1469. Paston Lett., II. 352. Be my trowthe ther is no gentylwoman on lyve that my herte tendreth more then it dothe her.
1524. [see f.].
1579. Gosson, Sch. Abuse (Arb.), 30. Dion … forbiddeth … gentlewomen that tender their name and honor, to come to Theaters.
1633. Bp. Hall, Hard Texts, N. T., 87. It must needs be more cause of joy to all that tender the glory of God.
a. 1677. Barrow, Wks. (1687), I. viii. 98. By our charity and benignity to those whose good he tenders.
1786. Francis the Philanthropist, III. 72. He advised me, as I tendered my own safety, to keep aloof from his house.
1828. Southey, in Q. Rev., XXXVIII. 569. As we tender the safety of the Royal Oak.
1857. [see f.].
† b. To regard or receive favorably; to attend to or comply with (a request) graciously. Obs.
c. 1430. Life St. Kath. (1884), 9. Besechynge ȝowre hyȝe excellence to tendre our desyr and to graunte vs … a graciouse answer.
1523. Skelton, Garl. Laurel, 56. My supplycacyon to thee I arrecte, Whereof I beseche you to tender the effecte.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 534. Then for thy husband and thy childrens sake, Tender my suite.
† c. To regard or treat with pity; to take pity on, have mercy on; to feel or show compassion for.
1442. Hen. VI., in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. III. I. 78. That ye soo tendryng thees oure necessitees wol lene vnto vs for the socours and relief of oure seid Duchie [etc.].
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. ccxxxi. 311. To knowe yf he wolde receyue you … and for pytie somwhat to tendre your nede and necessyte.
1581. T. Howell, Deuises (1879), 183. The Lyon doth tender the beast that doth yeelde.
1649. Roberts, Clavis Bibl., 25. Seeing he so tenders them in affliction.
d. To treat with affectionate care; to cherish, foster; to take care of, look after. Obs. or dial.
1449. Rolls of Parlt., V. 152/2. Fadres of the Church, that shuld most specially tendir þe dere bought monnys soule.
1556. J. Heywood, Spider & F., lxvii. 15. He tenderlie tendreth his childerne and wife.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. ix. (1623), 617. He rather ought to haue tendred him as a Father.
a. 1711. Ken, Hymns Festiv., Poet. Wks. 1721, I. 386. You in their Infant-age, To tender them engage.
1844. Mrs. Sherwood, Hist. J. Marten, xxv. [Irish lad says] I was obliged to lead him about,… and tender him, and help him, as if he had been a girl.
† e. To have regard or respect to as something to be dreaded and avoided. Obs.
1615, 1625. [see f.].
1633. T. Stafford, Pac. Hib., I. viii. (1821), 113. Beseeching your Lordship … not to faile, as you tender the overthrow of our Action.
1672–1901. [see f.].
f. Phrases. Royal Proclamations formerly ended with the phrase ‘as they [you, etc.] tender our pleasure’ (in sense a above), which was used as late as 1701, but in the 17th c. was largely supplanted by ‘as they tender our displeasure’ (see sense e), which occurs as early as 1615, and remained in use in proclamations for continuing persons in office, issued on the accession of a sovereign, down to the accession of Edward VII., after which the Demise of the Crown Act (of July, 1901) rendered such proclamations unnecessary. Proclamations for general fasts or thanksgivings have from 1641 ended with the phrase ‘as they tender the favour of Almighty God.’
1490. Warrant, in Coventry Leet Bk., 539. Fayle ye not herof … as ye & every of yowe tendre our singler pleasir and woll eshewe þe contrarie.
1524. Hen. VIII., in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.), I. 220. We … commnaunde you … to … suffre hym so to do, without any your let, chalenge, or contradiccion, as ye tender our pleasur.
1618. (July 6) Procl. 16 Jas. I. (Inhibiting all persons, etc.) as they tender Our pleasure and will avoid Our indignation and displeasure.
1619. (Nov. 10) Procl. 17 Jas. I. As they tender Our pleasure, and will avoide the contrary.
1669. (June 23) Procl. 21 Chas. II.
1701. (Mar. 9) Procl. 1 Anne. (Continuing Persons in Office) as they and every of them tender Her Majesty’s pleasure.
1615. (Dec. 9) Procl. 13 Jas. I. (Requiring the Residencie of Noblemen, etc.) as they tender Our indignation and displeasure.
1625. (May 26) Procl. 1 Chas. I. (For reforming disorders in His Majesty’s Household) as they will give account to Us thereof and tender Our high displeasure for neglect of this service.
1672. Dk. Newcastle, in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 24. His Majesty … hath required me to prohibit your further proceeding therein as you tender His Majesty’s displeasure.
1688. (Feb. 19) Procl. 1 Wm. & Mary. (Continuing Officers in Plantations) as they and every of them tender Our Displeasure.
1701. (Mar. 8) Procl. 1 Anne (Continuing Persons in Offices) as they and every of them tender Her Majesty’s utmost displeasure.
1704. N. N., trans. Boccalini’s Advts. fr. Parnass., III. 156. But above all things, as he tender’d his Majesty’s Displeasure, he should take particular Care never to part with any of ’em.
1727. (June 16) Procl. 1 Geo. II. as they and every of them tender Our utmost Displeasure.
1901. (Jan. 23) Procl. 1 Edw. VII. [same words].
1625. (July 3) Procl. 1 Chas. I. (For a public generall and solemn Fast) as they tender their duties to Almighty God, and to their Prince and Countrey.
1641. (Jan. 8) Procl. 17 Chas. I. (For a general Fast) as they tender the favour of Almighty God.
1805. (Nov. 7) Procl. 46 Geo. III. (For a General Thanksgiving) [same words].
1857. (Sept. 24) Procl. 21 Vict. (For a day of Solemn Fast) [same words].
Hence Tendered ppl. a.2; Tendering vbl. sb., a making or becoming tender; Tendering ppl. a., that produces tenderness; affecting. arch.
1635. J. Hayward, trans. Biondi’s Banish’d Virg., 66. Parting from her deerely-*tendred girle.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., II. (1586), 92 b. Diligent in the *tendering of the tree.
1640. Bp. Reynolds, Passions, xxvii. Out of a tendering of its own safety.
1684. O. Heywood, Diaries (1885), IV. 104. I … poured out my soul to god for him, and now at last see some tenderings.
1762. J. Woolman, Jrnl., viii. (1840), 115. Pure gospel love was felt to the tendering of some of our hearts.
c. 1694. Penn, in Janney, Life, xxvii. (1856), 388. In a *tendering and living power she broke out…, ‘Let us all prepare [etc.].’
1760. J. Rutty, Spir. Diary (ed. 2), 154. A sweet humbling, tendering time.
1824. Summary View of Amer., x. 137. He kissed one, took another in his arms, and proved himself so affectionate a father, that it was a tendering sight.
