Italian word tenere comes from Proto-Indo-European *tengʰ-, and later Proto-Indo-European *tetóne (To be stretched, extended.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *tengʰ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| tener | Latin (lat) | (poetic) erotic. Effeminate, sensitive. Soft, delicate, tender. Young, youthful. |
| *tn̥-eh₁-(ye)- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *tetóne | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | To be stretched, extended. |
| *tenēō | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | Hold. |
| tento | Latin (lat) | I handle, touch.. I try, test. |
| tenere | Italian (ita) | (transitive) to hold, keep. (transitive) to take. (transitive, regional) to have. |