noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A framework upon which cloth is stretched and dried.
2. 2
   a framework with hooks used for stretching and drying cloth wordnet
3. 3
   One who takes care of, or tends, machines in a factory; a kind of assistant foreman.
4. 4
   A kind of governor, or regulating device.

Verb

1. 1
   To stretch cloth on such a framework. transitive
2. 2
   To admit extension; to be stretchable. intransitive

   "Woollen cloth will tenter, linen scarcely."

Example

More examples

"Woollen cloth will tenter, linen scarcely."

Etymology

Via Old French, perhaps from Latin tentorium.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.