tierno

tender, gentle

adjective TYEHR-noh Rare

Origin: From Latin tener (tender, soft).

Also means

young (meat), soft

Usage Note

Tierno covers both emotional tenderness (un gesto tierno = a tender gesture) and physical softness or youth — pan tierno is fresh (soft) bread, and tierna edad is a tender young age. The noun ternura means tenderness or affection. The related verb enternecer means to move someone to tenderness.

Examples

"El bebé tenía una mirada tierna y dulce."

Natural Translation

The baby had a tender and sweet gaze.

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