Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The property or character of being tenacious, in any sense.
  • noun Retentiveness, as of memory.
  • noun Adhesiveness; that property of matter by virtueof which things stick or adhere to others; glutinousness; stickiness.
  • noun That property of material bodies by which their parts resist an effort to force or pull them asunder; also, the measure of the resistance of bodies to tearing or crushing: opposed to brittleness or fragility. Tenacity results from the attraction of cohesion which exists between the particles of bodies, and the stronger this attraction is in any body the greater is the tenacity of the body. Tenacity is consequently different in different materials, and in the same material it varies with the state of the body in regard to temperature and other circumstances. The resistance offered to tearing is called absolute tenacity, that offered to crushing retroactive tenacity. The tenacity of wood is much greater in the direction of the length of its fibers than in the transverse direction. With regard to metals, the processes of forging and wire-drawing increase their tenacity in the longitudinal direction; and mixed metals have, in general, greater tenacity than those which are simple. See cohesion.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being tenacious.
  • noun That quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force; cohesiveness; the effect of attraction; -- as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
  • noun That quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness; viscosity.
  • noun (Physics) 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.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The quality or state of being tenacious; as, tenacity, or retentiveness, of memory; tenacity, or persistency, of purpose.
  • noun The quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force; cohesiveness; the effect of attraction; – as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.
  • noun The quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness; viscosity.
  • 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.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun persistent determination

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin tenācitās.

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Examples

  • The evidence of their tenacity is apparent in the further growth and divergence in their language communities following Rhapta's decline, as is reflected in the linguistic record, and the material evidence accumulating in the growing archaeological record.

    Societies, Religion, and History: Central East Tanzanians and the World They Created, c. 200 BCE to 1800 CE 2008

  • "I always use the word tenacity, but to come in here and lose those first two games, and the way we bounced back to win these last two is huge," Swisher said.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • Vivi couldn't see how anything could go wrong, and never thought of the long-term tenacity of the Director, who was already pondering wearisome sporadic whorl-checks of white-starred bays for years to come.

    The Elvis Latte Allie Dresser 2010

  • Its tenacity is a function of its pragmatism: this is a movement that is based on action, not talk.

    The Revolution Wasn’t Televised « Gerry Canavan 2008

  • The tenacity is welcomed, Rob ... your passion for what you believe in always makes for a more lively and interesting discussion.

    not so fast 2005

  • While tenacity is an admirable quality to some degree; after all, he was re-elected by conveying his "steadfastness" versus Kerry's perceived waffling, it can be a debilitating and cumbersome attribute.

    October 2005 2005

  • But Tkachuk alters the team's look more than the others because his tenacity is wrapped around enough offensive talent to make him the most dangerous player on the ice on some nights.

    USATODAY.com - Tkachuk missing ingredient for Blues 2001

  • Vivi couldn't see how anything could go wrong, and never thought of the long-term tenacity of the Director, who was already pondering wearisome sporadic whorl-checks of white-starred bays for years to come.

    Field Of Thirteen Francis, Dick 1998

  • The SES can provide the continuity and long-term tenacity required for significant change governmentwide.

    Npr Report On Human Resource Management Part B ITY National Archives 1994

  • The SES can provide the continuity and long-term tenacity required for significant change governmentwide.

    Npr Report Human Resource Management Part B ITY National Archives 1994

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