# teneo
## Latin
### Alternative forms

* teniō (late)

### Etymology

From Proto-Italic *tenēō, stative from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, draw”). See also Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō), Persian تنیدن (tanidan, “to weave”), Sanskrit तनोति (tanóti) and Old English þennan.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈte.ne.oː/, [ˈt̪ɛneoː]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈte.ne.o/, [ˈt̪ɛːneo]

### Verb

teneō (present infinitive tenēre, perfect active tenuī, supine tentum); second conjugation
* to hold, have; to grasp
* to possess, occupy, control
* to watch, guard, maintain, defend; to retain, keep
* to reach, attain; to gain, acquire, obtain
* to hold fast or back, restrain, detain, check, confine, control; to bind, fetter
** 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.307–308:“Nec tē noster amor, nec tē data dextera quondam, nec moritūra tenet crūdēlī fūnere Dīdō?”“[So nothing] detains you [from leaving]? Not our love? Not having once given me your hand? Not [even the thought of your] Dido about to die a cruel death?”
* (reflexive) to keep back, remain, stay, hold position
* to know, grasp, understand, conceive
* to recollect, retain knowledge of, remember, bear in mind
* to insist, uphold
* (of laws) to be binding on; to bind, hold, obligate
* to arrive at a place, reach
* to set, fix, hold on a fixed position
* to hold in prison
* to comprise, contain, include, hold
* to hold someone's interest, to be interesting (to someone)
    Hic liber me tenet.This book interests me; I find this book interesting.
* to embrace, hug
* to hold on, last

#### Conjugation

The supine form tenetum occurs only in compound verbs.
* There exists an archaic reduplicated perfect tetinī

#### Synonyms

* (have, grasp): habeō, obtineō, possideō, concipio, capio, comprehendo, retineo, apiscor, prehenso, capesso, apprehendō, sustineo, arripiō
* (defend): salvō, tūtor, vindicō, cū̆stōdiō, tueor, sospitō, adimō, prōtegō, tegō, dēfendō, sustineō, ēripiō, arceō, servō, mūniō, prohibeō
* (understand): apprehendō, comprehendō, accipiō, cognōscō, concipiō, dēprehendō, apīscor, capiō, complector, excipiō, cōnsequor, exaudiō
* (acquire): acquīrō, adipīscor, cōnsequor, parō, pariō, impetrō, mereō, sūmō, emō, comparō, apīscor, obtineō, conciliō, nancīscor, alliciō
* (arrive): perveniō, adveniō, ēvādō, obeō, adsum, prehendō, tangō
* (contain, include): contineō, complector, inclūdō, apprehendō, amplector, cohibeō
* (occupy): occupō, obtineō, possideō, potior, compleō, capio, prehēnso, retineo, obsideō, adipīscor, apprehendō, comprehendō, excipio
* (maintain): servō, sustentō, contineō, cū̆stōdiō, cōnservō
* (watch): inspicio, conspicio, curo, intueor, specto, animadverto
* (detain): impedio, prohibeo, resisto, arceo, retineo
* (control): rego, ordino, domino
* (set): collocō, sisto, statuo, pono, figo, constituo, impono
* (embrace): complector, amplector, implicō

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “understand”): nesciō, ignōrō
* (antonym(s) of “acquire”): āmittō
* (antonym(s) of “defend”): īnstō, aggredior, incurrō, impetō, invehō

#### Derived terms

* abstineō
* attineō
* circumteneō
* contineō
* dētineō
* distineō
* manūteneō
* obtineō
* pertineō, perteneō
* retineō
* sustineō, subteneō
* tenāculum
* tenāx
* tenēns
* tenor
* tentus
* trānstineō

#### Descendants

(Some descendants show an extension of /ɲ/ from the 1SG form (< tɛ́njo < teneō) throughout the inflection paradigm; hence Venetan tegner or Francoprovençal tegnir.)
* Insular Romance:
** Sardinian: tènnere, tenni, tènniri
* Balkano-Romance:
** Aromanian: tsãn, tsãnu, tsen
** Istro-Romanian: ţir, ţire
** Megleno-Romanian: tsǫn
** Romanian: ține, ținea — archaic
* Italo-Dalmatian:
** Corsican: tena
** Dalmatian: tenar
** Italian: tenere
** Neapolitan: tenere
** Sicilian: tèniri
** Venetan: tegner, tegnar
* Gallo-Romance:
** Old Occitan: tener
*** Occitan: téner
* Ibero-Romance:
** Aragonese: tener
** Asturian: tener
** Mirandese: tener
** Old Galician-Portuguese: tẽer, teer
*** Galician: ter
*** Portuguese: ter
** Spanish: tener
* Borrowings:
** →⇒ English: tenet (via third-person singular tenet)
Reflexes of the late variant tenīre:
* Italo-Dalmatian:
** Old Venetan: tignir (Treviso)
*** Venetan: tenjir
* Rhaeto-Romance:
** Friulian: tignî
** Romansch: tgnair
* Gallo-Italic:
** Lombard: tegnì
** Old Ligurian: tegnir
** Piedmontese: tnì
* Gallo-Romance:
** Northern:
*** Franco-Provençal: tenir
*** Old French: tenir (see there for further descendants)
** Southern:
*** Catalan: tenir
*** Old Occitan: tenir
**** Occitan: tenir

### References

* Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “tĕnēre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 13: T–Ti, page 223

### Further reading

* “teneo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* teneo in Enrico Olivetti, editor (2003-2025), Dizionario Latino, Olivetti Media Communication
* “teneo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* teneo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co. the rain continues: imber tenet (Liv. 23. 44. 6) from one's cradle, from one's earliest childhood: a teneris unguiculis (ἐξ ἁπαλων ὀνύχων) (Fam. 1. 6. 2) I abide by this opinion: illud, hoc teneo I have great hopes that..: magna me spes tenet (with Acc. c. Inf.) (Tusc. 1. 41. 97) (ambiguous) to hold something in one's hand: manu or in manu tenere aliquid (ambiguous) to hold fast in the teeth (also metaphorically, obstinately): mordicus tenere aliquid (ambiguous) to be scarcely able to restrain one's laughter: risum tenere vix posse (ambiguous) to be hardly able to restrain one's tears: lacrimas tenere non posse (ambiguous) to be confined to one's bed: lecto teneri (ambiguous) to be in gross error, seriously misled: magno errore teneri (ambiguous) to abide by one's resolution: propositum, consilium tenere (opp. a proposito deterreri) (ambiguous) to remember a thing perfectly: memoriā tenere aliquid (ambiguous) to remember a thing perfectly: memoriam alicuius rei tenere (ambiguous) to have a vivid recollection of a thing: recenti memoria tenere aliquid (ambiguous) to be enamoured of philosophy: philosophiae (sapientiae) studio teneri (Acad. 1. 2. 4) (ambiguous) to insist on a point: tenere aliquid; stare in aliqua re (ambiguous) to be well versed in Roman history: memoriam rerum gestarum (rerum Romanarum) tenere (ambiguous) to be considered the foremost orator: eloquentiae principatum tenere (ambiguous) to rivet the attention of..: animos tenere (ambiguous) to cherish a hope: spe duci, niti, teneri (ambiguous) to long for a thing, yearn for it: desiderio alicuius rei teneri, affici (more strongly flagrare, incensum esse) (ambiguous) to be bound by one's word; to be on one's honour: fide obstrictum teneri (Pis. 13. 29) (ambiguous) to have an inclination for a thing: studio alicuius rei teneri (ambiguous) to observe moderation, be moderate: modum tenere, retinere, servare, adhibere (ambiguous) to observe the golden mean: mediocritatem tenere (Off. 1. 25. 89) (ambiguous) to remain true to one's principles: institutum tenere (ambiguous) to be bound by oath: iureiurando teneri (Off. 3. 27. 100) (ambiguous) to be the slave of superstition: superstitione teneri, constrictum esse, obligatum esse (ambiguous) to never appear in public: domi se tenere (ambiguous) to be a strict disciplinarian in one's household: severum imperium in suis exercere, tenere (De Sen. 11. 37) (ambiguous) to keep up a usage: consuetudinem suam tenere, retinere,[TR1] servare (ambiguous) to hold the reins of government: clavum rei publicae tenere (ambiguous) to occupy the leading position: principatum tenere, obtinere (ambiguous) to be bound by a law: lege teneri (ambiguous) to have power over some one: imperium tenere (in aliquem) (ambiguous) to keep the citizens in servile subjection: civitatem servitute oppressam tenere (Dom. 51. 131) (ambiguous) to maintain one's right: ius suum tenere, obtinere (ambiguous) to be convicted by some one's evidence: testibus teneri, convictum esse (ambiguous) to be commander-in-chief: imperii summam tenere (Rep. 2. 28) (ambiguous) to hold a mountain: tenere montem (B. G. 1. 22) (ambiguous) to remain inactive in camp: se (quietum) tenere castris (ambiguous) to keep a town in a state of siege: oppidum in obsidione tenere (ambiguous) to hold on one's course: cursum tenere (opp. commutare and deferri) (ambiguous) to steer: clavum tenere (ambiguous) to keep the coast and harbours in a state of blockade: litora ac portus custodia clausos tenere
* teneo in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016