I. ˈtent noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English tente, tent, from Old French tente, from Latin tenta, feminine of tentus, past participle of tendere to stretch — more at thin
1. : a collapsible shelter of canvas or other material stretched and sustained by poles, usually made fast by ropes attached to pegs hammered into the ground, and used for camping outdoors (as by soldiers or vacationers) or as a temporary building (as for a theatrical performance) — see fly tent , pup tent , sibley tent , wall tent
2. : abode , dwelling , habitation
others among the great who are admissible into the tents of the mighty — J.T.Farrell
moved with the smart clientele, pitching his tent in the resorts during the proper seasons — E.O.Hauser
3. : something that resembles a tent or that serves as a shelter
the pale, silky-looking tents of the … mountains — Cid R. Summer
the tent of free enterprise — Wall Street Journal
as
a. Scotland : a wooden pulpit for open-air preaching
b. : hut , shack
c. : a local organization of the Rechabites
d. : the web of a tent caterpillar
e. : a canopy or airtight chamber placed over the head and shoulders of a patient to retain vapors or oxygen during administration
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. : to reside for the time being : make a temporary abode : lodge
the blue skies with the leisurely clouds tenting among them — J.H.Wheelwright
2. : to live in a tent
tented in the state park for a week
transitive verb
1. : to cover with or as if with a tent
the rich brocade in which she was tented — John Mason Brown
tented his head with his hands — Warren Eyster
2. : to lodge in tents
tented his men on top of the hill
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, short for attent attention, intention, expectation, from Old French attente, from Latin attenta, feminine of attentus, past participle of attendere to attend
dialect chiefly Britain : attention , heed , care
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English tenten, from tent (III)
1. chiefly Scotland : to pay attention to : heed
2. chiefly Scotland : to attend to : care for : watch over : tend
3. chiefly Scotland : observe , watch
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English tent, tente, from Middle French tente, from Old French, from tenter to try, tempt, test, probe — more at tempt
1. obsolete : a probe for searching a wound
the tent that searches to the bottom of the worst — Shakespeare
2. : a roll of lint or linen or a conical or cylindrical piece of sponge or other absorbent formerly used chiefly to dilate a natural canal, to keep open the orifice of a wound, or to absorb discharges
VI. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. obsolete : probe
tent him to the quick — Shakespeare
2. archaic : to keep open or treat with a surgical tent
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Spanish tinto, from tinto dark red, from Latin tinctus, past participle of tingere to wet, dye — more at tinge
: a very dark red sweet Spanish wine