tentorial 
angle, an angle formed by the Intersection of the basl- 
cranial axis with the plane of the tKntnrlnni. tin- :i|i'A I"- 
ing directed upward. 
tentorium (teii-to'ri-um), .; pi. twtoria (-ft). 
|NL..< L. ti'ii/iiriiiui, a tent,< '<<//. stretch: 
see/(w/l. Cf. li'iill.] 1. A partition, composed 
of a strong sheet of tin- clur;i niiitcr, stretched 
across I lie luii-k part of tlic criinial cavity in 
MI;III, between the cerebrum and the cerebel- 
lum. A tentorinin sometimes ossifies, or Include* a shelf 
of bone, the bony tentorium. as in the cat fmnily. More 
fully called teiitirriinii Trebelli. 
2. In :ni>l. and ntint., the endocranium. /liisli-i/. 
3. Same as teiiture. Sinus tentorli. Seeniniu. 
tentoryt (ten'to-ri), H.; pi. teiitorirx (-ri/). [< 
OF. teiitorii; < L ti-iituriinii, lent: sec Iriiton- 
u in. "\ An awning; a tent. 
The women . . . who are said to weave hangings and 
curtains for the Krovo were mi other than makers of lento- 
run to spread from tree to tree. Ktelyn, Sylva, Iv. f 8. 
tent-peg (tent 'peg), . Same as tent-inn. 
tent-pegging (te.iit'peg*ing), An equestrian 
pi moor exercise fommon among British sol- 
diers in India, in which the competitors, riding 
at full gallop, try to strike and carry off on the 
point of a lance a tent-peg which has been firm- 
ly fixed in the ground. 
A a last wind-up there was a little tent-pegging, but, as 
my husband ami Lieutenant Carrol were the only ones who 
could du anything, It was soon over. 
E. Sartmut, In the Soudan, p. 196. 
tent-pin (tent'pin), . A stout peg driven into 
the ground to fasten one of the ropes of a tent 
to. It Is usually of wood, with a notch or nick to confine 
the bight of the rope, but sometimes of iron, with a hook 
or ring to receive the rope. 
While he [Slsera] wag awearied and asleep, Jael drove 
the tent-pin through his head and fastened It to the 
ground. The Century, XXXVIIL 868. 
tent-pole (tent'pol), n. One of the poles used 
in pitching a tent. There are usually two uprights, 
one at the front and one at the rear, connected at the top 
by a horizontal ridge-pole. In the Sibley and the bell tent 
there is but one, a central pole or post. The tent-poles of 
an Indian tepee are several, stacked in a circle, upon which 
skins are stretched as on a frame. 
tent-rope (tent'rop), H. One of the several 
ropes or cords by which a tent is secured to the 
tent-pins and thus to the ground. These ropes 
are attached to the tent usually at intervals cor- 
responding to a breadth of the canvas. 
tent-Stitch (tent'stich), n. A stitch used in 
worsted-work and embroidery, single and not 
crossed, the stitches lying side by side in a 
diagonal direction. Also called petit point. 
About a month ago Tent and Turkey-x/ifr/i seemed at a 
stand ; my wife knew not what new work to introduce. 
./../.;,.,/;. The Idler, No. 18. 
Black leather cushions, embroidered in red and blue 
tent-stitch. S. ./</./, Margaret, II. 11. 
tent-tree (tent'tre), H. A tall species of screw- 
pine, Ptiiitltiiiiix t'orsteri, of Lord Howe's Isl- 
and, New South Wales. 
tenture (teu'tur), . [< F. teiiture, hangings: 
see tenter" and trut^.] Hangings or decoration 
for a wall, especially paper-hangings. Also ten- 
turiiiiii. 
tent-wine (tent'wln), H. Same as tent 6 . 
tentwise (tent'wiz), adv. In the form of a tent. 
tent-work (tent'werk), . Work produced by 
embroidering with tent-stitch. 
Our great grandmothers distinguished themselves by 
truly substantial tent-work chairs and carpets . by needle- 
work pictures of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. 
Mi"- Edgeimrth, Practical Education, xx. 
tentwort (tent'wert), . A fern, Asplriiium 
Hiitti-miiriirin. Also called wall-rue. 
tenty (ten'ti), (i. [Also teutie; a reduced 
form of ten tire.] Attentive; cautious; careful. 
[Scotch.] 
Jean slips in twa with tentie e'e. fiwriwt, Halloween, 
tenuate (ten'u-at), r.t.', pret. and pp. tenuated, 
ppr. ti-iniiiliiii/. [< L. tenuatux, pp. of tenuare, 
make thin or slender, < teimi.t, thin: see ti'im- 
oim.] To make thin. [Rare.] Imp. I>ict 
tenues, H. Plural of teimix. 
tenuifolious (ten'u-i-fo'li-us), n. [< L. tennis, 
thin, -t- folium, leaf.] In hot., having slender 
or narrow leaves. 
tenuioust (te-nu'i-us), a. [< I., ti-imix, thin: see 
tenuous.] Same as tenuous. 
The thing I speak of is as easie to be apprehended as 
how infection should pass in certain tenuious streams 
through the air from one house to another. 
(Jlanrille, Essays, vi. 
A tenuiom emanation or continued effluvium. 
Sir T. Broicne, Vulg. Err., 11. 4. 
tenuiroster (teu'u-i-ros'ter), n. [< NL. tenui- 
rostris: see Tenuirostrex.] A slender-billed bird, 
as a member of the Teniiirostres. 
6237 
tenuirostral (ten'o-i-ros'tral), fi. [< inn- 
trr + -til.] Slender-billed, as a bird : formerly 
sjiffifyini; III'' /' iiiiini.-itri-x,w>\\ simply descrip 
tivi'. S( uts untler hill and I'miiii-rojix. 
Tenuirostres (ten'u-i-ros'trc/. ), . /il. [NL., pi. 
<if ti iiinrnxtrix, slender-billed, < L. tenui#. thin, 
+ rtixtruiii. Kill, licak.] If. A very extensive 
and unnatural assemblage of chiefly passerine 
or insessorial birds in which the beak is slen- 
der, as creepers, nuthatches, honey-eaters, 
sun-birds, humming-birds, hoopoes, and many 
others having little real affinity: correlated 
with l)riitiri>xtn:t, t'lniirnxtn-n, etc., in some of 
the older systems, as that of Cuvier. By Blyth 
( I slit) the term was restricted to the swifts ami 
humming-birds. 2. In ni-mtli.. in Sdater's sys- 
tem of 1880, a group of laminiplantar os.-in. 
Passerex, nearly conterminous with Sundevall's 
' 
tennis (ten'u-is), n.; pi. tenues (-ez). [NL., < 
L. tcintix, thin, fine, close: see tenuous.] In 
iy )/., one of the three surd mutes of the Greek 
alphabet, K, ir, T, in relation to their respec- 
tive middle letters, or medials (that is, sonant 
mutes), y, ji, i, or their aspirates, x< 0> " These 
terms are sometimes also applied to the cor- 
responding articulate elements in other lan- 
guages, as /.'. />. t. 
tenuity (te-nu'i-ti), n. [Early mod. E. tenuitic ; 
< OF. tenuite, F. tenuite = 8p. ti-iniiilml = Pg. 
ti'iniiiliitli- = It. tenuitd, < L. tenuita(t-)x, thin- 
ness, slenderness. fineness, small ness. < tennis, 
thin : see tenuous.] 1. The state of being tenu- 
ous or thin; want of substantial thickness or 
depth ; fineness ; thinness, as applied to a broad 
snlistance, or slenderness, as applied to one 
that is long. 
When I sat down, my intent was to write a good book, 
and, as far as the tenuity of my understanding would hold 
out, a wise, ay. and a diacreet. 
BlanM, Tristram Shandy, ill., Author's Prcf. 
He (the bull-dogj is not well shaped ; for there is not 
the quick transition from the thickness of the fore-part, 
to the tenuity the thin part behind, which a bull-dug 
ought to have. Jnhnmn, In Boswell, an. 1777. 
2. Rarity ; rareness ; thinness, as of a fluid. 
3f. Poverty; indigence. 
The tenuity and contempt of clergymen will soon let 
them see what a poor carcase they are, when parted from 
the influence of that supremacy. Kkon JiaMike. 
4. Simplicity or plainness; a quality of style 
opposed to opulence or grandeur, 
tenuous (ten'u-us). a. [Formerly also U-nuious, 
<j. v.; = F. tfiiu = Sp. tenue, tenuo = Pg. It. tenuc, 
< L. teniiin, thin, slender, slim, fine, narrow, 
close, = E. thin : see ////'// '.] 1. Thin; small: 
minute. 2. Rare; rarefied; fine; subtile. 
In the Sophist, that bewildering maze of tenuout ab- 
stractions, a certain mysterious Eleatic stranger conducts 
the argument to its fitting and convincing close. 
Jwr. Spec. Phil., XIX. 42. 
tenuousness (teu'u-us-ues), . Tenuous or 
attenuated character or quality ; slenderness ; 
thinness ; sparseness ; rarity. 
tenure (ten'ur), n. K ME. "tenure, tetinure, < 
OF. tenure, tencure, F. tenure (ML. tenura), a 
tenure, or estate in land,< L. tenere, hold: see 
tenant' 1 .'] 1. The nature of the right or title 
by which property, especially real property, is 
held; also, the property so held. Land-tenure is, 
in the main, either feudal or allodial. According to the 
latter tenure, the whole right and title to the land rests 
with the owner, subject only to the right of the state, 
and this Is the principle of United States law ; according 
to the former, the person possessing the land holds It 
from a superior, and this Is the principle of English law. 
According to the theory in England, all land is held of the 
crown, either mediately or Immediately. The ownership 
of land Is therefore never unlimited as to extent, for he 
who is the owner of land In fee, which is the largest estate 
that a man can have in land, is not absolute owner ; he 
owes services in respect of his fee (or fief), and the sei- 
gniory of the lord always subsists. All land in the hands 
of any layman is held of some lord, to whom the holder 
or tenant owes some service: but in the case of church 
lands, although they are held by tenure, no temporal ser 
vices are due, but the lord of whom these lands are held 
must be considered the owner, although the beneficial 
ownership can never revert to the lord. All the species 
of ancient tenures maybe reduced to four, three of which 
still subsist : (1) tenure by knight-teniee, which was the 
moat honorable (now abolished) ; (2) tenure in free nocaoe, 
or by a certain and determinate service, which is either 
free and honorable or villein and base ; (S) tenure by copy 
of court -roll, or copyhold tenure ; (4) tenure in ancient de- 
mane. There was also tenure in frankalmoin, or by free 
aim*. (See frankalmoin.) The tenure In free and com- 
mon socage has absorbed most of the others. (See tttate. 
tenantl, copyhold, tttvayc, villeinage.) In Scots law the 
equivalent technical term is holding. 
And had not I ben, the comens wolde have brennyd his 
plase and all his tennuryes, wher thorough it coste me of 
my noune propr godes at that tyme more than vj. merks 
In mate and drynke. Potion Letters, I. 133. 
tepefaction 
2. The eiiiisideriitinn or service which lie 
,-npier of hiinl |,n\s to his lord or superior for 
the use of hi- land, or the condition on which 
he holds il. 
To ride in thi'Inrd's train. I" it" ' the lord's bidding 
wherevei lie iniitlit will, t" keep head-ward" over the 
manor at nightfall, or horse-ward over IU common field, 
to hedge and ditch atkiul tin- ,!ein,Hiie, <>r t" In l|> in the 
chase HIM! nmkr th< ' d> r-h, <!.: . w i ' nurm by which 
the villagers held their lands, as well as by labor on th-- 
lord's land one day a week tht<iut:h<<ut the year, and a 
month s toil in lio vent tune. 
J. H. < if:'' I', I "MC| "I Kllg., p. :i!7- 
We served not In Ca-iar'n armies ; we took not f'mw't 
pay : we held no lands by the ii-nurr i.f KiiardiiiK Cteur's 
frontier*. If. A. freeman, Amer. I*ct., p. 117. 
3. Holding, or manner of holding, in general; 
the terms or conditions on which, or the period 
during which, anything is held. 
It is most absurd and ridiculous for any mortal man to 
look for a perpetual tenure of happiness In his life. 
Hurton, Anal, of Mel., p. 94. 
4. (Duality with respect to proportion of ingre- 
dients. 
The ores treated in this |Ct!llua] furnace ought never 
to contain more than ) per cent, of metal, and, when 
richer, must be reduced to about this tenure by the ad 
dltion of slags and other fluxes. Ure, Diet., III. 62. 
Barons by tenure. Sec baron, l. Base tenure. See 
aipi/hitlil, 1. Cottier tenure. Sec cotter^. Military 
tenure, sec .ww.ir.v. -Privity of tenure. See prirfly. 
Tenure by divine service, see dirine. Tenure In 
aumone. See immune.- Tenure of Office Act. (a) An 
act of the lulled states Congress, May 15th, 1820 (3 stat. 
582), prescribing that large classes of public officers should 
be appointed for the limited term of four years and re- 
movable at pleasure, (ft) An act of 18*7 (14 Stat. 430; 
Rev. Stat. 1 1767 et ffij,}, providing that persons appointed 
to civil offices by the President, and confirmed by the 
Senate, excepting members of the cabinet, shall hold such 
offices until their successors are qualified, subject to sus- 
pension by the President, during the recess of the Senate, 
for misconduct: and that they can be removed only with 
the consent of the Senate. 
tenure-hom (ten'ur-horn), n. A horn by the 
possession or exhibition of which certain es- 
tates were held. Compare tenure-xicord. The 
"Bruce horn" of Savernake Forest, Wiltshire, and the 
"Tutbury horn" of Tutbury In Staffordshire, England, 
have been exhibited at South Kensington. 
tenure-sword (ten'ur-sord), n. A sword by the 
exhibition of which at certain times certain 
lands were held. In most cases the sword so exhib- 
ited was sacredly preserved in the family holding the 
estate. The weapons seem generally to have been fal- 
chions, or short curved swords. J. /*. Earicaker. 
tenuryt, Same as tenure. 
tenutO (te-no'to), a. [It., pp. of tenere, hold, 
< L. tenere, hold: see tenant^.] In music, held; 
sustained ; given full value : used of tones or 
chords occurring in contrast to staccato tones 
or chords. It is nearly the same in effect as 
leijnto. Abbreviated ten Tenuto mark, in muti- 
cal notation, a horizontal stroke over a note or chord, to 
Indicate that it la to be held its full time : thus, . 
tenzon (ten'zon), H. Same as teiison. 
teocalli (te-o-1cal'i), . [= Sp. tfocaK, teucali, 
< Mex. teoctilli, a temple, lit. ' house of a god,' 
< teotl, a god, + <///', a house.] A structure of 
earth and stone or brick, used as a temple or 
place of worship by the Mexicans and other 
aborigines of America. They were generally solid 
four.sided truncated pyramids, built terrace-wise, with 
the temple proper on the platform at the summit. Many 
teocallis still remain In a more or less perfect state, as 
the so-called Pyramid of Cholula. Also teopan. 
teonef, r. ' A Middle English form of teen 1 . 
teonoma (te-on'6-ma), H. [An anagram of JVc- 
otoma, q. v.] 1. The large bushy-tailed rat 
of the Rocky Mountains, Xentoma cinerea, the 
pack-rat. 2. [cap.] [NL.] A genns of such 
rats, separated from Xentoma. J. K. Gray. 
teopan (te'o-pan), . Same as teoenlli. 
teosinte (te-o-sin'te), w. [Mex.] A grass, Eu- 
ehlana liixurians, native in Mexico and Central 
America, introduced into cultivation in various 
parts of the world. It la closely allied to the Indian 
corn, having the male flowers in a tassel at the top. the 
seed, however, borne not on a cob, but on slender stems 
from the JoinU, inclosed In a loose husk. It is an annual, 
reaching the height of 12 feet, suitable for forage, and per- 
haps the most prolific of forage-plants, sending up some- 
times sixty or eighty shoots, and springing up again when 
cut. It endures drought fairly well, though preferring 
humid soil. IU success in the southern United States is 
hindered by Its not ripening its seed : it Is found to do 
so, however, in some subtropical localities. Also called 
Quatemala graft. 
tepal (tep'all, H. [< petal, transposed for dis- 
tinction, pirob. in imitation of sepal.] In bot., 
an individual segment of a perianth, whether 
sepal or petal. [Rare.] 
tepee (te'pe), n. [Also teepee, tipi; Amer. Ind.] 
An Indian wigwam or tent. 
tepefaction (tep-e-fak'shon), . [< L. as if *te- 
pefactio(n-), < ttpefa cere, make lukewarm: see 
