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Definition 2024


tenir

tenir

See also: teñir

Catalan

Alternative forms

Verb

tenir (first-person singular present tinc, past participle tingut)

  1. to have, possess
  2. to hold

Conjugation

Irregular, though similar to prendre. Present (except 1st singular) and imperfect formed with stem ten-, remainder with stem tin-.

Derived terms

Related terms

References


Franco-Provençal

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin tenīre from classical Latin tenēre, present active infinitive of teneō.

Verb

tenir

  1. to hold

Conjugation


French

Etymology

From Old French tenir, from Vulgar Latin *tenīre, from Latin tenēre, present active infinitive of teneō (hold, keep).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /təniʁ/

Verb

tenir

  1. (transitive) to have; to hold
  2. (transitive) to keep
  3. (intransitive) to stay; to hold
  4. (reflexive, uncommon) to hold on
    Elle descend en se tenant aux racines. ― She comes down using the roots for handles (or holding on to the roots).
  5. (reflexive) to hold oneself, to be standing
    Il se tenait dans le coin. ― He stood in the corner.
  6. (reflexive) to behave
    Tiens-toi bien.Behave yourself.
  7. (reflexive) to maintain, remain in a certain position or disposition
    Tiens-toi droit!Keep yourself straight!
    Elle se tient immobile sur la corde raide. ― She stays still on the tightrope.
  8. (followed by the preposition à) to be attached to something, to be fond of something, to hold something dear
  9. (reflexive, Quebec, slang) to hang out
    • 1975, Beau Dommage, "Le Vent d'la ville", Passagers, Capitol Record (ST-70.055 [V], 4XL56355 [K7], CDL-56355 [CD]):
      "J'me tenais dans l'ouest de la ville, ça me fait plus peur l'exil"
      I used to hang out in the west end; exile doesn't scare me anymore.

Conjugation

This is a verb in a group of -ir verbs. All verbs ending in -tenir, such as contenir and détenir, are conjugated this way.

Related terms

Anagrams


Ido

Verb

tenir

  1. past infinitive of tenar

Middle French

Etymology

Old French tenir.

Noun

tenir

  1. to hold

Descendants

References

  • (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (tenir, supplement)

Old French

Alternative forms

  • tenoir (rare)

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *tenīre, from Latin tenēre, present active infinitive of teneō (hold, keep).

Verb

tenir

  1. to possess; to have
  2. to hold

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has a stressed present stem tien distinct from the unstressed stem ten, as well as other irregularities. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

Descendants


Old Provençal

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *tenīre, from Latin tenēre, present active infinitive of teneō (hold, keep).

Verb

tenir

  1. to possess; to have
  2. to hold

Descendants

References