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tendo (tenno), tĕtendi, tentum and tensum, 3, v. a. and n. [root ten-, tan, v. teneo; cf. Gr. τείνω].

  1. I. Act., to stretch, stretch out, distend, extend, etc. (class.; cf.: extendo, explico).
    1. A. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen.: suntne igitur insidiae, tendere plagas? Cic. Off. 3, 17, 68: plagam, Pac. ap. Fest. s. v. nequitum, p. 162 Müll.: quia non rete accipitri tennitur, Ter. Phorm. 2, 2, 16 sq.; cf.: retia (alicui), Prop. 2, 32 (3, 30), 20; Hor. Epod. 2, 33; Ov. M. 4, 513; 7, 701; 8, 331 al.: casses alicui, Tib. 1, 6, 5: intumescit collum, nervi tenduntur, Col. 6, 14, 4: chordam, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 55: arcum, to bend, Verg. A. 7, 164; Hor. C. 2, 10, 20; Ov. M. 2, 604; 5, 55; 5, 63; Stat. S. 3, 1, 51.
        Hence, poet. transf.: sagittas Arcu, to shoot, hurl, Hor. C. 1, 29, 9; cf.: spicula cornu, Verg. A. 9, 606: pariterque oculos telumque, id. ib. 5, 508: barbiton, to tune, Hor. C. 1, 1, 34; cf.: tympana tenta tonant palmis, Lucr. 2, 618: validā lora manu, Ov. Am. 3, 2, 72: vela (Noti), to swell, Verg. A. 3, 268: praecipiti carbasa tenta Noto, Ov. H. 10, 30: praetorium, to stretch out, pitch, Caes. B. C. 3, 82: pelles in ordine tentae, Lucil. ap. Non. 181, 30: conopia, Prop. 3, 11 (4, 10), 45: grabatos restibus, Lucil. ap. Non. 181, 29: cubilia, Hor. Epod. 12, 12: manus ad caeli caerula templa, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 51 Vahl.); so, manus ad caelum, Caes. B. C. 2, 5; Verg. A. 3, 176: bracchia ad caelum, Ov. M. 6, 279; 9, 293; for which: bracchia caelo, id. ib. 2, 580; 9, 210: ad legatos atque exercitum supplices manus tendunt, Caes. B. C. 2, 12; so, manus ad aliquem, id. B. G. 2, 13: ad sidera palmas, Verg. A. 1, 93: super aequora palmas, Ov. M. 8, 849: ad aliquem orantia bracchia, id. P. 2, 9, 65: manus supplices dis immortalibus, Cic. Font. 17, 48; cf.: vobis supplex manus tendit patria communis, id. Cat. 4, 9, 18; so, manus alicui, Caes. B. G. 7, 48; Ov. M. 3, 723; id. H. 10, 146: manus supinas, Liv. 3, 50, 5: manus ripae ulterioris amore, Verg. A. 6, 314; cf. also: Graecia tendit dexteram Italiae, stretches forth, reaches, Cic. Phil. 10, 4, 9; id. Prov. Cons. 4, 9: (conjux) parvum patri tendebat Iulum, reaches out, Verg. A. 2, 674: tu munera supplex Tende, petens pacem, id. G. 4, 535: quo tendant ferrum, aim, direct, id. A. 5, 489: qua nunc se ponti plaga caerula tendit, stretches itself out, extends, Lucr. 5, 481.
      2. 2. In partic.: nervum tendere, in mal. part., Auct. Priap. 70; cf. Mart. 11, 60, 3.
        Hence, tentus, a lecherous man, Mart. 11, 73, 3; Auct. Priap. 20; 27; 34 al.; and tenta, ōrum, n., = membrum virile, Cat. 80, 6.
    2. B. Trop.: insidiae tenduntur alicui, are spread out, laid (qs. like nets), Cic. Rosc. Com. 16, 46: insidias alicui, Sall. C. 27, 2; Suet. Caes. 35: omnes insidias animis, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47: animum vigilem, to strain, exert, Stat. Achill. 1, 543: longo tendit praecordia voto, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Ol. 66; cf.: sunt quibus in Satirā videor nimis acer et ultra Legem tendere opus, i. e. to heighten, aggravate, Hor. S. 2, 1, 2: aestivam sermone benigno noctem, to protract, extend, id. Ep. 1, 5, 11: (lunam) Tanto posse minus cum Signis tendere cursum, to direct, Lucr. 5, 631: cursum ex acie in Capitolia, Sil. 9, 216: cursum ad agmina suorum, id. 10, 73: iter ad naves, Verg. A. 1, 656: iter pennis, id. ib. 6, 240: ad dominum iter, Ov. M. 2, 547: cursum unde et quo, Liv. 23, 34, 5: iter in Hispaniam, Auct. B. Afr. 95: cunctis civibus lucem ingenii et consilii sui porrigens atque tendens, tendering, offering, Cic. de Or. 1, 40, 184.
  2. II. Neutr.
    1. A. To direct one’s self or one’s course; to aim, strive, go, travel, march, tend, bend one’s course in any direction (class.).
      1. 1. Lit.: dubito an Venusiam tendam, Cic. Att. 16, 5, 3: Beneventum, Hor. S. 1, 5, 71: cursuque amens ad limina tendit, Verg. A. 2, 321: ad castra, Liv. 9, 37: in castra, id. 10, 36: ad aedes, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 89: ad domum Bruti et Cassii, Suet. Caes. 85: ad portus, Ov. M. 15, 690: Ciconum ad oras, id. ib. 10, 3: ad metam, id. ib. 15, 453; cf.: cum alter ad alterum tenderemus, Plin. Ep. 1, 5, 9: unde venis? et Quo tendis? Hor. S. 1, 9, 63; id. Ep. 1, 15, 11; id. C. 3, 3, 70: quo tendere pergunt, Verg. A. 6, 198; Nep. Milt. 1, 6: tendimus huc (sc. in Orcum) omnes, Ov. M. 10, 34 et saep.
        1. b. Of things concrete or abstract, to go, proceed, extend, stretch, etc.: in quem locum quaeque (imago) tendat, Lucr. 4, 179: levibus in sublime tendentibus, Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 11: sursum tendit palmes, Col. 5, 6, 28: simulacra viis derectis omnia tendunt, Lucr. 4, 609.
          Poet., with acc. of direction: tunc aethera tendit, Luc. 7, 477: dextera (via), quae Ditis magni sub moenia tendit, Verg. A. 6, 541: gula tendit ad stomachum, is ad ventrem, reaches, extends, Plin. 11, 37, 66, § 176: Taurus mons ad occasum tendens, id. 5, 27, 27, § 97; so id. 5, 5, 5, § 35; 16, 30, 53, § 122; cf.: Portae Caspiae, quae per Iberiam in Sarmatas tendunt, id. 6, 13, 15, § 40: seu mollis quā tendit Ionia, Prop. 1, 6, 31.
      2. 2. Trop.
        1. a. In gen., to aim, strive, be directed or inclined, to tend in any direction: ad reliqua alacri tendebamus animo, Cic. Div. 2, 2, 4; cf.: ad altiora et non concessa tendere, Liv. 4, 13, 4: ad majora, Quint. 2, 4, 20; 12, 2, 27: ad eloquium, Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 17: ad suum, Liv. 4, 9, 5; cf.: ad Carthaginienses, id. 24, 5, 8: cum alii alio tenderent, id. 24, 28, 1: in diversum sententiae tendebant, id. 36, 10, 7: tenes, quorsum haec tendant, quae loquor, tend, look, = spectent, Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 81; Hor. S. 2, 7, 21.
          1. (β) To exert one’s self, to strive, endeavor (mostly poet.); with inf.: (Laocoon) manibus tendit divellere nodos, Verg. A. 2, 220: pasta (nitedula) rursus Ire foras pleno tendebat corpore frustra, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 31: captae civitati leges imponere, Liv. 6, 38, 7; 24, 35; 10, 1: quod efficere tendimus, Quint. 9, 1, 21: fratresque tendentes opaco Pelion imposuisse Olympo, Hor. C. 3, 4, 51: tendit disertus haberi, id. Ep. 1, 19, 16: aqua tendit rumpere plumbum, id. ib. 1, 10, 20; Pers. 5, 139; Juv. 10, 154.
            Absol.: miles tendere, inde ad jurgium, insists, persists, Ter. Eun. 4, 1, 12.
        2. b. In partic., to exert one’s self in opposition, to strive, try, endeavor, contend (class. but not freq. till the Aug. per.): nec nos obniti contra nec tendere tantum Sufficimus, Verg. A. 5, 21; cf.: nec mora nec requies; vasto certamine tendunt, id. ib. 12, 553: Petreius ubi videt Catilinam contra ac ratus erat magnā vi tendere, Sall. C. 60, 5; cf.: summā vi, Liv. 32, 32, 7 Drak.: adversus, etc., id. 34, 34, 1: contra, id. 35, 51, 6: ultra, id. 24, 31, 4: acrius, Tac. A. 2, 74; cf.: acrius contra, ut, etc., Liv. 3, 15, 2; so with ut, id. 4, 7, 8; with ne, id. 4, 8, 6: quid tendit? cum efficere non possit, ut, etc., what does he strive for? to what do his efforts tend? Cic. Fin. 2, 5, 16; cf.: nihil illi tendere contra, Verg. A. 9, 377.
    2. B. For tentoria tendere, to set up tents, to be under tents, be encamped, to encamp: qui sub vallo tenderent mercatores, Caes. B. G. 6, 37; cf.: omnibus extra vallum jussis tendere, Frontin. Strat. 4, 1, 18: vallo tendetis in illo, Luc. 7, 328: hic Dolopum manus, hic saevus tendebat Achilles, Verg. A. 2, 29: legio latis tendebat in arvis, id. ib. 8, 605: isdem castris, Liv. 44, 13, 12; 27, 46; 44, 5; Suet. Galb. 12; 19; cf.: isdem hibernis tendentes, Tac. H. 1, 55: Lugduni tendentes, id. ib. 1, 59: cum multitudo laxius tenderet, Curt. 3, 8, 18; 5, 7, 6; 7, 2, 37: tendere in campis, id. 10, 7, 20.
      Hence, tensus, a, um, P. a., stretched out, drawn tight, strained, tense (rare): rectissima linea tensa, Quint. 3, 6, 83: collum, id. 11, 3, 82; cf.: remissis magis quam tensis (digitis), id. 11, 3, 99: vox tensior (opp. remissior), id. 11, 3, 42: lacerti, Luc. 7, 469: rudentes, id. 2, 683: frons, Lucr. 6, 1195: tormento citharāque tensior, Auct. Priap. 6 and 70.
      Sup. and adv. do not occur.

tensa, ae, f., the chariot or car on which the images of the gods were borne in the Circensian games.

  1. I. Lit.: tensam ait vocari Sinnius Capito vehiculum, quo exuviae deorum ludicris Circensibus in Circum ad pulvinar vehuntur. Fuit et ex ebore, ut apud Titinnium in Barbato, et ex argento, Fest. p. 364 Müll.; cf.: tensa ἅρμα θεῶν, Gloss. Philox.: via tensarum atque pompae, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 59, § 154; 2, 3, 3, § 6; 2, 5, 72, § 186: tensam ducere, Liv. 5, 41, 2; 9, 40, 16: deducere, Suet. Aug. 43; id. Vesp. 5; Inscr. Grut. 35, 12.
  2. * II. Perh. for a carriage in gen.: vende tensam atque mulos: sine eam pedibus grassari, Titin. ap. Non. 316, 3.