Tenuous to Term
Tenuous
(Ten"u*ous) a. [L. tenuis thin. See Thin, and cf. Tenuis.]
1. Thin; slender; small; minute.
2. Rare; subtile; not dense; — said of fluids.
Tenure
(Ten"ure) n. [F. tenure, OF. teneure, fr. F. tenir to hold. See Tenable.]
1. The act or right of holding, as property, especially real estate.
That the tenure of estates might rest on equity, the Indian title to lands was in all cases to be quieted.
Bancroft. 2. (Eng. Law) The manner of holding lands and tenements of a superior.
Tenure is inseparable from the idea of property in land, according to the theory of the English law; and
this idea of tenure pervades, to a considerable extent, the law of real property in the United States, where
the title to land is essentially allodial, and almost all lands are held in fee simple, not of a superior, but
the whole right and title to the property being vested in the owner. Tenure, in general, then, is the particular
manner of holding real estate, as by exclusive title or ownership, by fee simple, by fee tail, by courtesy,
in dower, by copyhold, by lease, at will, etc.
3. The consideration, condition, or service which the occupier of land gives to his lord or superior for the
use of his land.
4. Manner of holding, in general; as, in absolute governments, men hold their rights by a precarious
tenure.
All that seems thine own,
Held by the tenure of his will alone.
Cowper. Tenure by fee alms. (Law) See Frankalmoigne.
Teocalli
(Te`o*cal"li) n.; pl. Teocallis [Mexican.] Literally, God's house; a temple, usually of pyramidal
form, such as were built by the aborigines of Mexico, Yucatan, etc.
And Aztec priests upon their teocallis
Beat the wild war-drums made of serpent's skin.
Longfellow. Teosinte
(Te`o*sin"te) n. (Bot.) A large grass (Euchlæna luxurians) closely related to maize. It is native
of Mexico and Central America, but is now cultivated for fodder in the Southern United States and in
many warm countries. Called also Guatemala grass.
Tepal
(Tep"al) n. [F. tépale, fr. pétale, by transposition.] (Bot.) A division of a perianth. [R.]
Tepee
(Tep*ee") n. An Indian wigwam or tent.
Tepefaction
(Tep`e*fac"tion) n. Act of tepefying.
Tepefy
(Tep"e*fy) v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Tepefied ; p. pr. & vb. n. Tepefying ] [L. tepere to be
tepid + -fy; cf. L. tepefacere. See Tepid.] To make or become tepid, or moderately warm. Goldsmith.
Tephramancy
(Teph"ra*man`cy) n. [Gr. ashes + - mancy.] Divination by the ashes of the altar on which
a victim had been consumed in sacrifice.
Tephrite
(Teph"rite) n. (Geol.) An igneous rock consisting essentially of plagioclase and either leucite
or nephelite, or both.
Tephroite
(Teph"ro*ite) n. [See Tephrosia.] (Min.) A silicate of manganese of an ash-gray color.
