tendresse

noun

ten·dresse täⁿ-ˈdres

: fondness

Examples of tendresse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This remarkable and wise book is actually two memoirs, braided together with such tendresse that readers will come to believe the ironic title in earnest. —

Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 Zuo correctly spelled tendresse, a noun meaning fondness, then spelled tibia, a bone between the knee and ankle. —

City News Service, Orange County Register, 31 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tendresse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "tenderness," going back to Old French, from tendre tender entry 1 + -esse, suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives, going back to Latin -itia (with phonetic development as if from -icia) — more at -ice

Note: Attested in Middle English as a borrowing from Anglo-French, but the word is rare or non-existent in Early Modern English; reborrowed from French in the 18th century.-

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of tendresse was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century