Ten Questions About "Ten" Trivia Quiz

Answer: tendril

A tendril is a threadlike, specialized stem or leaf - often growing in spiral form - that climbing plants use to attach themselves to any suitable support. Common plants that have tendrils are grapes and sweet peas. Occasionally other objects - such as ringlets of human hair - are described as tendrils because of their resemblance to the plant structure. The word is probably a diminutive of Old French "tendron" (bud), which is related to tender, as its source is Latin "tener" (soft). Tendril was first attested in English in 1538.

Tenia (also spelled taenia) is the scientific name of the parasitical worm commonly known as tapeworm; tench is a common European freshwater fish, and tenrec is a small mammal endemic to Madagascar, resembling a hedgehog.

Answer: a building with multiple dwellings

The term "tenement" refers to a building with several units on each floor that share an entrance and other common parts. The word originated in Great Britain, where it applied to any residential property used for rental purposes. In 19th-century US, tenement acquired a negative connotation, as it came to denote large, multiple-occupancy buildings associated with crowded, unhealthy conditions. Though technically there is no difference between an apartment building and a tenement, the latter term is often used to refer to the kind of low-income housing that became widespread in cities after the Industrial Revolution.

Etymologically, tenement is related to tenant, as tenements offer rented accommodation. The word comes from Medieval Latin "tenimentum", derived in turn from "tenere" ("hold, possess"). The first known use of "tenement" in English dates from the 14th century.

Answer: education

The noun tenure (also used as a verb) denotes the act of holding something such as an estate, a position, or an office. In particular, it is used in reference to the status granted to a teacher in an academic context, which gives protection from dismissal. First used in English in the 15th century, the word is now most often applied to highly coveted (and increasingly rare) positions in higher education - as in the expression tenure-track, denoting a teaching position likely to lead to tenure.

Tenure comes from Anglo-French "teneure", meaning possession of land under obligation to a superior; the latter word is derived from Medieval Latin "tenitura" (from the verb "tenere", meaning hold).

Answer: dark

Tenebrous is a higher-register synonym of dark or obscure, often used for dramatic effect. This adjective comes from Latin "tenebrosus" (full of darkness - from "tenebrae", meaning darkness) through Anglo-French "tenebreus". This term was first attested in English in the 15th century.

A closely related noun, tenebrism (derived from Italian "tenebroso"), refers to a 17th-century style of painting - an extreme form of chiaroscuro pioneered by Italian painter Caravaggio - in which most of figures are shrouded in darkness, though some significant details are dramatically lit by concentrated light.

Answer: tenet

In etymological terms, tenet is the third person singular of the Latin verb "tenere", meaning she/he/it holds. This word often appeared in religious writings to introduce the opinions held by a particular church or sect; it is believed to have been borrowed into English in the early 17th century.

Both tenant (with which tenet is occasionally confused) and tenor are also etymologically related to tenet, as they both derive from "tenere". On the other hand, tendon comes from "tendere" (stretch, extend outward). Both these Latin verbs come from the Indo-European root "*ten", which also means stretch. The ending -tain, found in verbs such as contain and maintain, is also derived from "tenere".

Answer: favouring a particular point of view

Tendentious is a synonym of biased - though with a more negative connotation - denoting an attitude that openly leans towards a particular opinion, often a controversial one. This adjective - likely to have been modeled on the German "tendenziös" - comes from Medieval Latin "tendentia" (tendency) plus the suffix -ious. "Tendentia" is in turn derived from the verb "tendere" (stretch, extend).

A word used in higher-register contexts, such as literature and quality journalism, tendentious was first attested in English in the 1870s.

Answer: tenuous

The adjective tenuous denotes something that has very little substance or strength. It comes from Latin "tenuis" (fine-drawn) followed by the suffix -ous. "Tenuis" is also related to thin, as both words share the Indo-European root "*ten", meaning stretch. In English, where it was first attested in 1597, tenuous is often followed by nouns such as link or association, while it is rarely used to describe the physical appearance of something.

The three words listed as incorrect answers also have their origins in the Indo-European root "*ten". Tensile means capable of being stretched, while tenable means capable of being held, and tenacious means holding fast.

Answer: uncertain

The adjective tentative denotes something that is uncertain or subject to change. Derived from Medieval Latin "tentativus" (from "temptare", meaning test or try, from which attempt also comes), it originally referred to something provisional or experimental, and later came to denote something not fully developed. In modern English, the meaning of hesitant (as in a tentative knock on the door) is also common.

The first known use of tentative in English dates from 1825. Since the 1890s, this word has also been used (albeit rarely) as a noun; in Italian ("tentativo") French ("tentative") and Spanish ("tentativa"), the corresponding noun means attempt.

Answer: money

As an adjective meaning soft, gentle or delicate, tender comes from Latin "tener" (same meaning) through Old French "tendre". However, the noun tender that appears in the phrase legal tender - meaning any form of currency that must be accepted by a creditor as payment for a debt - has a different etymology. The Old French word from which it comes is derived from the Latin verb "tendere", meaning stretch out, extend - as tender is something that is offered or put forth. This use of tender in English dates from the mid-16th century.

Another meaning of tender as a noun - as in bartender, or denoting a smaller boat used to ferry people or goods from a large ship to the shore - comes from a shortened form of "attend", also with Anglo-French roots.

Answer: sustained

In Italian, "tenuto" is the past participle of the verb "tenere", meaning held or sustained. In musical notation, tenuto is an articulation mark indicated by a horizontal bar placed above or below a note, directing the performer to sustain this note for its full length. Shortened as ten., tenuto was first used in English in 1762. It is one of the earliest directions to appear in musical notation, as it is mentioned in a late 9th-century text by Benedictine monk Notker of St. Gall.

The term for detached is staccato; slowly is adagio, while lively is vivace.