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tenacity

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te⋅nac⋅i⋅ty

[tuh-nas-i-tee]
–noun
the quality or property of being tenacious.

Origin:
1520–30; < L tenācitās equiv. to tenāc- (s. of tenāx) holding fast, deriv. of tenēre to hold + -itās -ity2


See perseverance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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te·nac·i·ty   (tə-nās'ĭ-tē)   
n.  The state or quality of being tenacious: "Social styles developed in the 19th century withstand, with sporelike tenacity, all that the present century can throw at them" (Larry McMurty).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tenacity 
1526, from M.Fr. ténacité (14c.), from L. tenacitas "the act of holding fast," from tenax (gen. tenacis) "tough, holding fast," from tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Tenacious first attested 1607.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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