tent

¹

[ tent ]

noun

1. a portable shelter of skins, canvas, plastic, or the like, supported by one or more poles or a frame and often secured by ropes fastened to pegs in the ground.
2. something that resembles a tent.
3. tent dress.

verb (used with object)

1. to lodge in tents.
2. to cover with or as if with a tent:

   In winter the tennis courts are tented in plastic.

verb (used without object)

1. to live in a tent; encamp.

tent

²

[ tent ]

noun

1. a roll or pledget, usually of soft absorbent material, as lint or gauze, for dilating an orifice, keeping a wound open, etc.
2. a probe.

verb (used with object)

1. to keep (a wound) open with a tent.

tent

³

[ tent ]

verb (used with object)

, Chiefly Scot.

1. to give or pay attention to; heed.

tent

¹

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. 1. a portable shelter of canvas, plastic, or other waterproof material supported on poles and fastened to the ground by pegs and ropes
   2. ( as modifier )

      tent peg

2. something resembling this in function or shape

verb

1. intr to camp in a tent
2. tr to cover with or as if with a tent or tents
3. tr to provide with a tent as shelter

tent

²

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. obsolete.
   a red table wine from Alicante, Spain

tent

³

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. a plug of soft material for insertion into a bodily canal, etc, to dilate it or maintain its patency

verb

1. tr to insert such a plug into (a bodily canal, etc)

tent

⁴

/ tɛnt /

noun

1. heed; attention

verb

1. to pay attention to; take notice of
2. to attend to

Derived Forms

• ˈtentless, adjective
• ˈtentˌlike, adjective
• ˈtented, adjective
• ˈtenter, noun

Other Words From

• tentless adjective
• tentlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tent¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English tente, from Old French, from Latin tenta, feminine of tentus, past participle of tendere “to extend, stretch”

Origin of tent²

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tent(e), teint(e) “a probe,” from Middle French tente “a probe, roll of lint,” noun derivative of tenter, from Latin tentāre, variant of temptāre tempt

Origin of tent³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, tente(n), “to plan, intend, look after,” derivative of tent(e) “attention,” shortening of attent, past participle of attenden “to pay attention to, heed,” from Old French atente “attention, intention,” from Latin attenta, feminine of attentus, past participle of attendere to attend

Word History and Origins

Origin of tent¹

C13: from Old French tente, from Latin tentōrium something stretched out, from tendere to stretch

Origin of tent²

C16: from Spanish tinto dark-coloured; see tint

Origin of tent³

C14 (in the sense: a probe): from Old French tente (noun), ultimately from Latin temptāre to try; see tempt

Origin of tent⁴

C14: from attent attend and intent

Example Sentences

“My dad had a house in Chico, so I had somewhere to go. A lot of people were living in tents at Walmart.”

From Los Angeles Times

On Santa Clara Street, city crews swept in Nov. 1 to clear out tents, belongings and piles of trash.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’re on the same page on that,” Bass said, suggesting the city could erect shipping containers or other modular units for more stable forms of housing rather than tent cities.

From Los Angeles Times

When Bedouin residents erected makeshift tents, the police ripped those down as well and threatened them with arrest.

From Salon

“We need to grow the tent, not shrink it,” Garrett said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• canvas
• pavilion