tenacity
/təˈnæsəti/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.11 in modern English
Meaning
noun
The quality or state of being tenacious, or persistence of purpose; tenaciousness.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force, as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness, viscosity.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder, usually expressed with reference to a unit area of the cross section of the substance, as the number of pounds per square inch, or kilograms per square centimeter, necessary to produce rupture.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Like the Cuscus of the Moluccas, the Galeopithecus feeds chiefly on leaves, and possesses a very voluminous stomach and long convoluted intestines. The brain is very small, and the animal possesses such remarkable tenacity of life, that it is exceedingly difficult to kill it by any ordinary means."
- "— Our opponents may be younger, faster and less out of shape than we are, but we have something they’ll never have! — Tenure? — Tenacity!"
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /təˈnæsəti/
- British English: /təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/