Heath's French and English dictionary

by Jean Louis de Lolme

ténesme, n.m., (med.) tenesmus.

tenettes, n.f.pl., (surg.) lithotomy forceps, extractor.

teneur, n.f., tenor, terms, text; purport; contents. Je n’en comprends pas la —; I don’t understand the purport of it.

teneur de livres, n.m., book-keeper.

tenez! int. V. tiens.

ténia, n.m., tænia, tape-worm.

tenir (tenant, tenu), v.a., to hold, to have hold of, to have; to contain; to possess; to believe, to regard, to maintain, to be possessed of, to occupy; to take up, to keep; to perform; to account, to look upon, to consider, to think, to detain. Vous tenez trop de place; you take up too much room. — maison; to keep house. — boutique; to keep a shop. — le lit; to keep one’s bed. — le large; (nav.) to go out into the open. — la mer; (nav.) to be seaworthy. — la campagne; (milit.) to have taken, or to hold, the field. — la tête droite; to hold up one’s head. — les yeux baissés; to keep one’s eyes down. Cela m’a tenu plus que je ne pensais; that detained me longer than I thought. Je tiens cela de bonne source; I have it on the best authority. Je le tiens pour honnête homme; I look upon him as an honest man. Voilà la conduite qu’il tient; such is the way in which he behaves. — sa parole; to keep one’s word. Cessez de — ce langage; cease to hold this language, cease to speak in such a manner. — table ouverte; to keep open house (com.). — les livres en partie double; to keep books by double entry. — la caisse; to be a cashier, to have charge of the cash. — registre de quelque chose; to keep an account of anything. Je tiendrai compte de cela; I shall take that into consideration. — quelqu’un à distance; to hold any one at a distance. — quelque chose dans la main; to hold anything in the hollow of one’s hand. Faire — des lettres à quelqu’un; to forward, or send, letters to any one. — lieu de; to be instead of, to stand in the place of. Il m’a tenu lieu de père; he has been like a father to me. — le loup par les oreilles; to be in a critical situation. — son homme; to have one’s man. — quelqu’un à quatre; to hold any one down by force.

se tenir, v.r., to hold, to hold on, to hold fast, to hold each other; to abide by; to cling, to adhere, to stick; to keep, to stay; to keep one’s self; to be; to stand, to lie; to remain; to be held; to sit; to think one’s self, to consider one’s self; to contain one’s self, to refrain. Je m’y tiens; I stand (at cards). S’en tenir à; to rely on, to adhere to, to rest content, to stick to. Je m’en tiens à votre avis; I stick to your advice. Se — mal à cheval; not to sit well on horseback. Tenez-vous en là; go no further in the matter; remain content. Se — en embuscade; to lie in ambush. Se — sur ses gardes; to stand upon one’s guard. Se le — pour dit; to take it for granted; not to forget it. Tenez-vous en repos; be, or keep, quiet. Se — à ne rien faire; to stand doing nothing. Se — les bras croisés; to sit with one’s arms crossed. Se — à genoux; to be, to remain, upon one’s knees. Se — debout; to stand up. Se — droit; to stand upright. Je me suis tenu à quatre pour ne pas rire; it was almost more than I could do not to laugh. Ne pas savoir à quoi s’en tenir; not to know what to believe. Savoir à quoi s’en —; to know how it is, how matters stand, or what to do.

tenir, v.n., to hold, to hold fast; to be contiguous; to hang; to adhere, to stick; to be held (of fairs, markets, assemblies); to take after; to be of the nature; to keep together, to remain; to withstand, to resist; (milit.) to hold out; to subsist; to be connected with; to be desirous; to proceed, to result. — bon; to hold out, to stick fast. Il tient à le faire; he is anxious to do it. Il ne tient pas à moi qu’elle ne vienne pas; it is not my fault that she does not come. Qu’à cela ne tienne; never mind, let not that be an objection. Il n’y a pas d’amitié qui tienne; friendship has nothing to do with the question. La vie ne tient qu’à un fil; life only hangs on a thread. S’il ne tient qu’à cela; if that is all. À quoi tient-il que? how is it that? À quoi cela tient-il? what is it owing to? Il tient de son père; he takes after his father. Ce clou ne tient pas; this nail does not hold. Je n’y tiens plus; I cannot stand it any longer. Je n’y tiens pas; I am not particular about it. En —; to be smitten. Il ne tient qu’à vous de; it only depends on you to, or only rests with you to. Tiens! c’est vous; hullo! well, I never! is that you? Tiens! tiens! indeed, you don’t say so. Il vaut mieux — que courir or un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras; (prov.) a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Cela lui tient au cœur; he thinks of nothing else. — comme teigne; (pop.) to stick like wax.

tenon, n.m., tenon; bolt (of fire-arms); nut (of an anchor).