tenuis

See also: Tenuis

English

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin tenuis (“thin, fine; weak”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛ.nuː.ɪs/
• IPA^(key): /ˈtɛn.juː.ɪs/

Adjective

tenuis (not comparable)

1. (linguistics) Of Greek consonants, neither aspirated nor voiced, as [p], [t], [k]
2. (linguistics) Of obstruents in other languages, not voiced, aspirated, glottalized, or otherwise different in phonation from the prototypical values of the voiceless IPA letters ([p], [t], [k], [f], [θ], [s], [ʃ], etc.).

Noun

tenuis (plural tenues)

1. (linguistics) A tenuis consonant.
   • 1887, Max Müller

     The tenuis becomes aspirate in Low-German.

Antonyms

• media
• aspirate

Anagrams

• intuse, unites, unties

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Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *ténh₂us (“thin”). Cognates include Sanskrit तनु (tanú), Ancient Greek τανύω (tanúō) and Old English þynne (English thin).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈte.nu.is/, [ˈt̪ɛnuɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈte.nu.is/, [ˈt̪ɛːnuis]

• Audio (Classical):

  (file)

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈten.u̯is/, [ˈt̪ɛnu̯ɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈten.vis/, [ˈt̪ɛɱvis]

Adjective

tenuis (neuter tenue, comparative tenuior, superlative tenuissimus, adverb tenuiter); third-declension two-termination adjective

1. thin, fine, slender
2. weak, watery
3. slight, trifling
4. delicate, subtle

Declension

Third-declension two-termination adjective.

Number	Singular			Plural
Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter		Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Nominative	tenuis	tenue		tenuēs	tenuia
Genitive	tenuis			tenuium
Dative	tenuī			tenuibus
Accusative	tenuem	tenue		tenuēs tenuīs	tenuia
Ablative	tenuī			tenuibus
Vocative	tenuis	tenue		tenuēs	tenuia

Derived terms

• tenue
• tenuistīpitātus (Mediaeval Latin)
• tenuiter

Related terms

• tener

Descendants

• Catalan: tènue
• French: ténu
• Italian: tenue
• Portuguese: ténue / tênue
• Spanish: tenue
• Walloon: tene
• →⇒ English: tenuious, tenuous
• → English: tenuis
• → German: Tenuis

References

• “tenuis”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “tenuis”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• tenuis in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • elevated, moderate, plain style: genus dicendi grave or grande, medium, tenue (cf. Or. 5. 20; 6. 21)
    
  • meagre diet: victus tenuis (Fin. 2. 28. 90)
    
  • little money: pecunia exigua or tenuis