tendu

English

Etymology 1

From French tendu (“stretched”).

Noun

tendu (plural tendus)

1. (ballet) A move in which the leg and foot stretch to point in a particular direction, but the foot does not leave the floor.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hindi तेंदू (tendū), from Sanskrit तिन्दुक (tinduka).

Noun

tendu (plural tendus)

1. Diospyros melanoxylon, a tree in the family Ebenaceae, native to parts of South Asia, whose leaves are used as beedi-wrappers. (clarification of this definition is needed)
   • 1866 January 29, W. McNeile, Best Means of Keeping Water Sweet when Stored in Tanks, page 12:

     […] the milky stems of Ak and Thubar, and all parts of the Tendu, have a noxious effect on the water. The Tendu is said to be so poisonous that if a branch fall into the water the fish of the tank will die.

   • 2004, Kaushik Basu, India's Emerging Economy, Penguin Random House LLC, →ISBN, page 309:

     More than 3 million workers are involved in the tendu leaf collection.

Synonyms

• Coromandel ebony, East Indian ebony, kendu, temburini, tuniki

Anagrams

• tuned

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

Participle

tendu (feminine tendue, masculine plural tendus, feminine plural tendues)

1. past participle of tendre

Adjective

tendu (feminine tendue, masculine plural tendus, feminine plural tendues)

1. tight; taut
2. (of a person) tense, on edge

Further reading

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