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tenon

[ten-uh n]
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noun
  1. a projection formed on the end of a timber or the like for insertion into a mortise of the same dimensions.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to provide with a tenon.
  2. to join by or as by a tenon.
  3. to join securely.
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Origin of tenon

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French, equivalent to ten(ir) to hold (< Latin tenēre) + -on noun suffix
Related formsten·on·er, noun

teno-

  1. a combining form meaning “tendon,” used in the formation of compound words: tenotomy.
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Also tenon-.

Origin of teno-

combining form representing Greek ténōn
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

harmonize, conform, coincide, jibe, correspond, accord, square, join, tally, unite, interlock, go, agree, match, mortise, sync, tenon

Examples from the Web for tenon

Historical Examples

  • The tenon is one hole in length, and the head of the standard one hole and a half in length.

    Ten Books on Architecture

    Vitruvius

  • A stub mortise-and-tenon is made by cutting only two sides of the tenon beam.

    Handwork in Wood

    William Noyes

  • On the working edge near the end mark the thickness of the tenon.

    Handwork in Wood

    William Noyes

  • It is used to keep a tenon tightly fixed as in wheel spokes.

    Handwork in Wood

    William Noyes

  • The rule is that the tenon should be one-half the width of the rail, minus the groove.

    Handwork in Wood

    William Noyes

British Dictionary definitions for tenon

tenon

noun
  1. the projecting end of a piece of wood formed to fit into a corresponding mortise in another piece
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verb (tr)
  1. to form a tenon on (a piece of wood)
  2. to join with a tenon and mortise
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Derived Formstenoner, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Old French, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre

teno-

before a vowel ten-

combining form
  1. tendontenosynovitis
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Word Origin

from Greek tenōn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tenon

n.

projection inserted to make a joint, c.1400, from Middle French tenon "a tenon," from Old French tenir "to hold" (see tenet).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
tenon in Medicine

teno-

pref.
  1. Tendon:tenotomy.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.