tent

views updated

tent1 portable shelter of canvas, etc. XIII. — (O)F. tente :- Rom. *tenta n. pl. used as fem. of *tentum, for L. tentōrium tent, f. tent-, pp. stem of tendere stretch, TEND2, based on the use of phr. pelles tendere stretch out skins, in the sense ‘pitch tents’.
Hence tent vb., tented (see -ED1, -ED2) XVII.

More From encyclopedia.com