tenter

[ ten-ter ]

/ ˈtɛn tər /

noun

a framework on which cloth in the process of manufacture is stretched so it may set or dry evenly.

Obsolete. a tenterhook.

verb (used with object)

to stretch (cloth) on a tenter or tenters.

verb (used without object)

to be capable of being tentered.

QUIZZES

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Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

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Origin of tenter

1300–50; Middle English tente to stretch (< Latin tentus, variant of tēnsus tense¹) + -er¹; replacing Middle English teyntur, of unclear derivation

OTHER WORDS FROM tenter

un·ten·tered, adjective

Words nearby tenter

tentacled, tentage, tentation, tentative, tented, tenter, tenterhook, tenterhooks, tenth, tenth amendment, tenth commandment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tenter

I always felt on tenter hooks in her presence, from the very first date of our acquaintanceship.
She and I, Volume 1|John Conroy Hutcheson
Every one was on tenter hooks to see how she would be greeted by the grateful Emperor.
The Princess Virginia|C. N. Williamson
Sometimes the Tenter, instead of standing with one foot in the Den, stands as far off the prisoner as the prisoner can spit.
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol I of II)|Alice Bertha Gomme
If the Tenter is thus caught tripping, the prisoner can escape from the Den.
The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol I of II)|Alice Bertha Gomme

She thus becomes a tenter or helper, and fetches the weft, carries away the finished goods, sweeps and cleans.
Women in Modern Industry|B. L. Hutchins

British Dictionary definitions for tenter

tenter

/ (ˈtɛntə) /

noun

a frame on which cloth is stretched during the manufacturing process in order that it may retain its shape while drying

a person who stretches cloth on a tenter

verb

(tr) to stretch (cloth) on a tenter

Word Origin for tenter

C14: from Medieval Latin tentōrium, from Latin tentus stretched, from tendere to stretch

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