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tenacious

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The definition of tenacious is someone or something that holds on firmly.

(adjective)

An example of tenacious is a person who lives for another twenty years with a terminal disease.
An example of tenacious is the way a lady bug goes after its garden prey.

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See tenacious in Webster's New World College Dictionary

adjective

holding firmly: a tenacious grip
that retains well; retentive: a tenacious memory
that holds together strongly; cohesive; tough: a tenacious wood
that clings; adhesive; sticky
persistent; stubborn: tenacious courage

Origin: L tenax (gen. tenacis) < tenere, to hold: see tenant

Related Forms:

tenaciously adverb
tenaciousness noun

See tenacious in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective

Holding or tending to hold persistently to something, such as a point of view.
Holding together firmly; cohesive: a tenacious material.
Clinging to another object or surface; adhesive: tenacious lint.
Tending to retain; retentive: a tenacious memory.

Origin:

Origin: From Latin tenāx, tenāc-, holding fast

Origin: , from tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots

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Related Forms:

te·naˈcious·ly adverb

te·naˈcious·ness noun

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