[Middle English tenten, from tent, attention, short for attent, from Old French attente, from Vulgar Latin *attendita, from feminine past participle of Latin attendere, to wait on; see attend.]
tent 2Audio Help (těnt) Pronunciation Key
n.
A small cylindrical plug of lint or gauze used to keep open or probe a wound or an orifice.
tr.v.
tent·ed, tent·ing, tents
To keep (a wound or orifice) open with such a plug.
[Middle English tente, from Old French, from tenter, to probe, from Latin tentāre, to feel, try; see tentative.]
A portable shelter, as of canvas, stretched over a supporting framework of poles with ropes and pegs.
Something resembling such a portable shelter in construction or outline: "her hair a dark tent, her face a thin triangle"(Anne Tyler).
v.
tent·ed, tent·ing, tents
v.
intr.
To camp in a tent.
v.
tr.
To form a tent over.
To supply with or put up in tents.
[Middle English, from Old French tente, from Vulgar Latin *tendita, from feminine past participle of Latin tendere, to stretch out; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
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