tendency
/ˈtendənsi/TEN-duhn-see
/ˈtɛndənsi/TEN-duhn-see
Meaningthe quality of leaning toward
Common meaning: a habit of behaving a certain way
- tendto stretch out; to aim atLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1852 · scan
- encynoun ending: the quality or state of
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: Formed in English from tend + -ency.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), TEND, p.630 · scan
Roots
- tendō, tetendī, tentum/tēnsum Latin “to stretch out; to aim at”
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app