tendresse

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French tendresse

Noun

tendresse (plural tendresses)

1. tenderness, gentle intimacy or affection
   • 1974 February 2, Jonathan Cross, “Poor Butterfly”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 32, page 4:

     When Papillon makes his last impossible try for freedom they embrace with the tendresse of lovers, however manly and platonic.

   • 2023 January 11, Peter Bradshaw, “Tár review – Cate Blanchett is perfect lead in delirious, sensual drama”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Tár has furthermore conceived a tendresse for a new cellist.

French

Etymology

From tendre +‎ -esse. Compare Occitan and Catalan tendresa, Italian tenerezza, Aromanian tinireatsã, Old Sicilian tinirizza, Romanian tinerețe, Spanish and Portuguese terneza.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑ̃.dʁɛs/
• Rhymes: -ɛs

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

tendresse f (plural tendresses)

1. Tenderness, state of being tender.

Further reading

• “tendresse”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.