Lewis & Short

tĕner, ĕra, ĕrum, adj. [v. teneo; cf. tenuis, and Sanscr. tanu], soft, delicate, tender (class.; cf. mollis).

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. In gen.: nihil est tam tenerum, neque tam flexibile neque quod tam facile sequatur quocumque ducas quam oratio, Cic. de Or. 3, 45, 176; cf. id. Brut. 79, 274; and v. II. infra): locus bipalio subactus siet beneque terra tenera siet, Cato, R. R. 45, 1; cf.: serito in loco, ubi terra tenerrima erit, id. ib. 151, 2: in tenero corpore, Lucr. 3, 765: procera et tenera palma, Cic. Leg. 1, 1, 2: radices harundinum, Caes. B. C. 3, 58: teneris arboribus incisis atque inflexis, id. B. G. 2, 17: cana legam tenerā lanugine mala, Verg. E. 2, 51: plantae, id. ib. 10, 49: caules, Hor. S. 1, 3, 116: gramen, id. C. 4, 12, 9: rami, Ov. M. 2, 359: uvae, id. R. Am. 83: prata tenerrima, id. A. A. 1, 299: aër, thin, transparent, Lucr. 2, 145; Verg. A. 9, 699; Ov. M. 4, 616: alvus, Cels. 3, 18: gallina, tender, Hor. S. 2, 4, 20; cf.: ferae tenuiores ad epulas, Gell. 17, 15, 7: caseus, Prud. Cath. 3, 70: Dianam tenerae dicite virgines, Hor. C. 1, 21, 1; so, virgines, id. ib. 4, 1, 26: conjux, id. ib. 1, 1, 26 Lycidas, id. ib. 1, 4, 19: saltatores, effeminate, Cic. Pis. 36, 89: vestem Purpuream teneris quoque Maecenatibus aptam, Juv. 12, 39: spado, id. 1, 22.
    2. B. In partic., of tender age, young: tener ipse etiam atque puellus, Lucil. ap. Prisc. p. 697 P.: tener et rudis, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47: tener in cunis et sine voce puer, Prop. 2, 6, 10: (annus) tener et lactens puerique simillimus aevo Vere novo est, Ov. M. 15, 201: mares, id. ib. 10, 84: equis vetulis teneros anteponere solemus, Cic. Lael. 19, 67: grex, Phaedr. 2, 4, 14: vitulus, Hor. C. 4, 2, 54: haedus, id. ib. 3, 18, 5: tigres, Val. Fl. 1, 491: manes, the shades of children, Stat. Th. 6, 121.
      Of plants, tenerae res, Verg. G. 2, 343: teneri anni, youthful, tender, Plin. Pan. 15, 1; so, teneriores anni (opp. ferociores), Quint. 2, 2, 3: aetates, id. 1, 10, 34: a teneris, ut Graeci dicunt, unguiculis, i. e. from childhood, Cic. Fam. 1, 6, 2; for which: de tenero ungui, Hor. C. 3, 6, 24.
      Absol.: a tenero, Quint. 1, 2, 18; cf.: ut (plantae) eam partem caeli spectent, cui ab tenero consueverunt, Col. 5, 6, 20.
      Subst.: tĕnĕri, ōrum, m., the young, boys: parcendum est teneris, Juv. 14, 215; Claud. Laud. Stil. 2, 59; also: in teneris, in early youth, Verg. G. 2, 272; Quint. 1, 3, 13.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., soft, delicate, tender, etc.: est naturale in animis tenerum quiddam atque molle, Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 12: virtus est in amicitia tenera atque tractabilis, id. Lael. 13, 48: tenerior animus, id. Fam. 5, 21, 3; cf.: tenerae Mentes, Hor. C. 3, 24, 52; so, animi, id. S. 1, 4, 128: pudor, Ov. H. 2, 143: est oratio mollis et tenera et ita flexibilis, ut, etc., Cic. Or. 16, 52; cf. id. Brut. 9, 38; cf. I. supra init.; so, versus, Hor. A. P. 246; Ov. A. A. 2, 273: carmen, id. Am. 3, 8, 2.
      Transf., of elegiac poets: poëta, Cat. 35, 1; Ov. R. Am. 757: Propertius, id. A. A. 3, 333: molli tenerāque voce, Quint. 11, 3, 23: tenera delicataque modulandi voluptas, id. 9, 4, 31 et saep.
    2. B. In partic., of youthful weakness, tender: tener animus (pueri), Anton. ap. Cic. Att. 14, 13, A, 3; cf.: horum erroribus teneri statim et rudes animi imbuuntur, Tac. Or. 29; so, adhuc mentes, Quint. 2, 4, 5.
      Hence, adv., tenderly, delicately, softly.
        1. a. tĕnĕrē (post-Aug.): dicere, Tac. Or. 26: recitare, Plin. Ep. 4, 27, 1: diligere, Vulg. Gen. 44, 20.
          Comp.: complosit manus, Petr. 24.
          Sup.: derasus cortex, Plin. 23, 3, 35, § 72.
        2. b. ‡ tĕnĕrĭter, only once cited: teneriter quidam efferunt, ut celeriter: alii vero tenere ut libere, Charis. p. 162 P.