tenacious
/təˈneɪʃəs/tuh-NAY-shuhs
/təˈneɪʃəs/tuh-NAY-shuhs
Meaningholding fast
Common meaning: not letting go
Other meanings: persistent
- tento hold, keep hold ofLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1853 · scan
- aciousadjective ending: inclined to, given to
Journey through time
- Latintenax‘holding fast’source
- Englishtenacious‘not letting go’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin teneō ‘to hold, keep hold of’.
Roots
- teneō, tenuī, tentum Latin “to hold, keep hold of”
Related words
abstaindetaindiscontentdiscontinuationdiscontinueobtainpertinaciousreinretainsupercontinentsustaintenet
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