English
intenerate
Intenerate comes from New Latin intenerātus, from tener ‘tender’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘to stretch, draw’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- New Latinc. 1500–1900tener2‘tender’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900intenerātus2
- Englishearliest quotation 1637intenerate2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin tener, which cites de Vaan
- 2 Wiktionary, English intenerate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1637, Joseph Hall: “Fear intenerates the heart.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin tener, which cites de Vaan‘to stretch, draw’root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- New Latinc. 1500–1900tenerWiktionary, English intenerate‘tender’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900intenerātusWiktionary, English intenerate
- Englishearliest quotation 1637intenerateWiktionary, English intenerate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1637, Joseph Hall: “Fear intenerates the heart.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’
continue, tight, content, ton, tone, obtain, contain, tune, maintenance, tennis, retain, entertainment, continuous, sustain, detention, continent, tonic, retention, tenant, rein, continuum, detain, pristine, tenor, tendon, abstain, tenacity, abstinence, tenacious, sustenance, tetanus, pertinent, pertain, countenance, retinue, tenet, incontinence, tantra, tenement, abstention, 71 more
through New Latin tener ‘tender’
Today it means
verb To soften; tenderize.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “intenerate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin tener. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / intenerate