tendo (tenno), tĕtendi, tentum and tensum, 3, v. a. and n. [root ten-, tan, v. teneo; cf. Gr. τείνω].
I Act. , to stretch , stretch out , distend , extend , etc. (class.; cf.: extendo, explico).
A Lit.
1 In gen.: suntne igitur insidiae, tendere plagas? Cic. Off. 3, 17, 68: plagam, Pac. ap. Fest. s. v. nequitum, p. 162 Müll.: quia non rete accipitri tennitur, Ter. Phorm. 330 sq.; cf.: retia (alicui), Prop. 2, 32 (3, 30), 20; Hor. Epod. 2, 33; Ov. M. 4, 513; 7, 701; 8, 331 al.: casses alicui, Tib. 1, 6, 5: intumescit collum, nervi tenduntur, Col. 6, 14, 4: chordam, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 55: arcum, to bend , Verg. A. 7, 164; Hor. C. 2, 10, 20; Ov. M. 2, 604; 5, 55; 5, 63; Stat. S. 3, 1, 51.—Hence, poet. transf.: sagittas Arcu, to shoot , hurl , Hor. C. 1, 29, 9; cf.: spicula cornu, Verg. A. 9, 606: pariterque oculos telumque, id. ib. 5, 508: barbiton, to tune , Hor. C. 1, 1, 34; cf.: tympana tenta tonant palmis, Lucr. 2, 618: validā lora manu, Ov. Am. 3, 2, 72: vela (Noti), to swell , Verg. A. 3, 268: praecipiti carbasa tenta Noto, Ov. H. 10, 30: praetorium, to stretch out , pitch , Caes. B. C. 3, 82: pelles in ordine tentae, Lucil. ap. Non. 181, 30: conopia, Prop. 3, 11 (4, 10), 45: grabatos restibus, Lucil. ap. Non. 181, 29: cubilia, Hor. Epod. 12, 12: manus ad caeli caerula templa, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 20, 40 (Ann. v. 51 Vahl.); so, manus ad caelum, Caes. B. C. 2, 5; Verg. A. 3, 176: bracchia ad caelum, Ov. M. 6, 279; 9, 293; for which: bracchia caelo, id. ib. 2, 580; 9, 210: ad legatos atque exercitum supplices manus tendunt, Caes. B. C. 2, 12; so, manus ad aliquem, id. B. G. 2, 13: ad sidera palmas, Verg. A. 1, 93: super aequora palmas, Ov. M. 8, 849: ad aliquem orantia bracchia, id. P. 2, 9, 65: manus supplices dis immortalibus, Cic. Font. 17, 48; cf.: vobis supplex manus tendit patria communis, id. Cat. 4, 9, 18; so, manus alicui, Caes. B. G. 7, 48; Ov. M. 3, 723; id. H. 10, 146: manus supinas, Liv. 3, 50, 5: manus ripae ulterioris amore, Verg. A. 6, 314; cf. also: Graecia tendit dexteram Italiae, stretches forth , reaches , Cic. Phil. 10, 4, 9; id. Prov. Cons. 4, 9: (conjux) parvum patri tendebat Iulum, reaches out , Verg. A. 2, 674: tu munera supplex Tende, petens pacem, id. G. 4, 535: quo tendant ferrum, aim , direct , id. A. 5, 489: qua nunc se ponti plaga caerula tendit, stretches itself out , extends , Lucr. 5, 481. —
2 In partic.: nervum tendere, in mal. part., Auct. Priap. 70; cf. Mart. 11, 60, 3.—Hence, tentus, a lecherous man , Mart. 11, 73, 3; Auct. Priap. 20; 27; 34 al.; and tenta , ōrum, n., = membrum virile, Cat. 80, 6.—
B Trop.: insidiae tenduntur alicui, are spread out , laid (qs. like nets), Cic. Rosc. Com. 16, 46: insidias alicui, Sall. C. 27, 2; Suet. Caes. 35: omnes insidias animis, Cic. Leg. 1, 17, 47: animum vigilem, to strain , exert , Stat. Ach. 1, 543: longo tendit praecordia voto, Claud. Cons. Prob. et Ol. 66; cf.: sunt quibus in Satirā videor nimis acer et ultra Legem tendere opus, i. e. to heighten , aggravate , Hor. S. 2, 1, 2: aestivam sermone benigno noctem, to protract , extend , id. Ep. 1, 5, 11: (lunam) Tanto posse minus cum Signis tendere cursum, to direct , Lucr. 5, 631: cursum ex acie in Capitolia, Sil. 9, 216: cursum ad agmina suorum, id. 10, 73: iter ad naves, Verg. A. 1, 656: iter pennis, id. ib. 6, 240: ad dominum iter, Ov. M. 2, 547: cursum unde et quo, Liv. 23, 34, 5: iter in Hispaniam, Auct. B. Afr. 95: cunctis civibus lucem ingenii et consilii sui porrigens atque tendens, tendering , offering , Cic. de Or. 1, 40, 184.—
II Neutr.
A To direct one’s self or one’s course; to aim , strive , go , travel , march , tend , bend one’s course in any direction (class.).
1 Lit.: dubito an Venusiam tendam, Cic. Att. 16, 5, 3: Beneventum, Hor. S. 1, 5, 71: cursuque amens ad limina tendit, Verg. A. 2, 321: ad castra, Liv. 9, 37: in castra, id. 10, 36: ad aedes, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 89: ad domum Bruti et Cassii, Suet. Caes. 85: ad portus, Ov. M. 15, 690: Ciconum ad oras, id. ib. 10, 3: ad metam, id. ib. 15, 453; cf.: cum alter ad alterum tenderemus, Plin. Ep. 1, 5, 9: unde venis? et Quo tendis? Hor. S. 1, 9, 63; id. Ep. 1, 15, 11; id. C. 3, 3, 70: quo tendere pergunt, Verg. A. 6, 198; Nep. Milt. 1, 6: tendimus huc (sc. in Orcum) omnes, Ov. M. 10, 34 et saep. —
b Of things concrete or abstract, to go , proceed , extend , stretch , etc.: in quem locum quaeque (imago) tendat, Lucr. 4, 179: levibus in sublime tendentibus, Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 11: sursum tendit palmes, Col. 5, 6, 28: simulacra viis derectis omnia tendunt, Lucr. 4, 609.—Poet., with acc. of direction: tunc aethera tendit, Luc. 7, 477: dextera (via), quae Ditis magni sub moenia tendit, Verg. A. 6, 541: gula tendit ad stomachum, is ad ventrem, reaches , extends , Plin. 11, 37, 66, § 176: Taurus mons ad occasum tendens, id. 5, 27, 27, § 97; so id. 5, 5, 5, § 35; 16, 30, 53, § 122; cf.: Portae Caspiae, quae per Iberiam in Sarmatas tendunt, id. 6, 13, 15, § 40: seu mollis quā tendit Ionia, Prop. 1, 6, 31.—
2 Trop.
a In gen., to aim , strive , be directed or inclined , to tend in any direction: ad reliqua alacri tendebamus animo, Cic. Div. 2, 2, 4; cf.: ad altiora et non concessa tendere, Liv. 4, 13, 4: ad majora, Quint. 2, 4, 20; 12, 2, 27: ad eloquium, Ov. Tr. 4, 10, 17: ad suum, Liv. 4, 9, 5; cf.: ad Carthaginienses, id. 24, 5, 8: cum alii alio tenderent, id. 24, 28, 1: in diversum sententiae tendebant, id. 36, 10, 7: tenes, quorsum haec tendant, quae loquor, tend , look , = spectent, Plaut. Ps. 1, 2, 81; Hor. S. 2, 7, 21. —
β To exert one’s self , to strive , endeavor (mostly poet.); with inf.: (Laocoon) manibus tendit divellere nodos, Verg. A. 2, 220: pasta (nitedula) rursus Ire foras pleno tendebat corpore frustra, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 31: captae civitati leges imponere, Liv. 6, 38, 7; 24, 35; 10, 1: quod efficere tendimus, Quint. 9, 1, 21: fratresque tendentes opaco Pelion imposuisse Olympo, Hor. C. 3, 4, 51: tendit disertus haberi, id. Ep. 1, 19, 16: aqua tendit rumpere plumbum, id. ib. 1, 10, 20; Pers. 5, 139; Juv. 10, 154. — Absol. : miles tendere, inde ad jurgium, insists , persists , Ter. Eun. 626. —
b In partic., to exert one’s self in opposition , to strive , try , endeavor , contend (class. but not freq. till the Aug. per.): nec nos obniti contra nec tendere tantum Sufficimus, Verg. A. 5, 21; cf.: nec mora nec requies; vasto certamine tendunt, id. ib. 12, 553: Petreius ubi videt Catilinam contra ac ratus erat magnā vi tendere, Sall. C. 60, 5; cf.: summā vi, Liv. 32, 32, 7 Drak.: adversus, etc., id. 34, 34, 1: contra, id. 35, 51, 6: ultra, id. 24, 31, 4: acrius, Tac. A. 2, 74; cf.: acrius contra, ut, etc., Liv. 3, 15, 2; so with ut , id. 4, 7, 8; with ne , id. 4, 8, 6: quid tendit? cum efficere non possit, ut, etc., what does he strive for? to what do his efforts tend? Cic. Fin. 2, 5, 16; cf.: nihil illi tendere contra, Verg. A. 9, 377. —
B For tentoria tendere, to set up tents , to be under tents , be encamped , to encamp : qui sub vallo tenderent mercatores, Caes. B. G. 6, 37; cf.: omnibus extra vallum jussis tendere, Front. Strat. 4, 1, 18: vallo tendetis in illo, Luc. 7, 328: hic Dolopum manus, hic saevus tendebat Achilles, Verg. A. 2, 29: legio latis tendebat in arvis, id. ib. 8, 605: isdem castris, Liv. 44, 13, 12; 27, 46; 44, 5; Suet. Galb. 12; 19; cf.: isdem hibernis tendentes, Tac. H. 1, 55: Lugduni tendentes, id. ib. 1, 59: cum multitudo laxius tenderet, Curt. 3, 8, 18; 5, 7, 6; 7, 2, 37: tendere in campis, id. 10, 7, 20. — Hence, tensus , a, um, P. a., stretched out , drawn tight , strained , tense (rare): rectissima linea tensa, Quint. 3, 6, 83: collum, id. 11, 3, 82; cf.: remissis magis quam tensis (digitis), id. 11, 3, 99: vox tensior (opp. remissior), id. 11, 3, 42: lacerti, Luc. 7, 469: rudentes, id. 2, 683: frons, Lucr. 6, 1195: tormento citharāque tensior, Auct. Priap. 6 and 70.— Sup. and adv. do not occur.