Now Sc. and north. dial. [Closely related to, and app. formed from, TENT sb.2: perh. short for take tent; but cf. also TEND v.1]
† 1. intr. To give or pay attention, to ‘take tent’; to attend, give heed, take notice. Const. to, unto, till; = TEND v.1 1, 2. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16910. Armed knightes þar þai left Þat to þe tumb suld tent. Ibid., 19034. Þai … desseli bath late and are War tentand to þe apostels lare.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 91. Þe Kyng was in affray, he might not tent þerto.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 294. Þei tenten neiþer to bodi ne to soule.
a. 1425. Cursor M., 3619 (Trin.). His modir tent [Cott. & Gött. tok tent] to ysaac And herde þo wordis þat he spac.
c. 1475. Golagros & Gaw., 342. I rede ye tent treuly to my teching.
1530. Palsgr., 754/2. I tente to my busynesse, I take hede to the thinges I have in hande.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxviii. 99. Tent to ȝoursellis.
† b. Const. to with inf. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 21167. Symon zelote … His lauerd al to serue he tent.
1357. Lay Folks Catech. (MS. T.), 194. Noght than for to tent to tary with the world, Ne lyue in lykyng ne lust.
c. 1410. Love, Bonavent. Mirr., xxxiii. (1908), 159. Onely tentinge to plese god.
c. trans. To give or pay mental attention to; to attend to, give heed to, take notice of (a person, his words, a matter); cf. TEND v.1 1 b.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 13630. Þey ne roughte where þey ȝede Ne nought rewarded how [v.r. no tentid not] þey were in drede.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 935. þay token hit as-tyt & tented hit lyttel. Ibid., C. 59. Wyl ȝe tary a lyttel tyme & tent me a whyle.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 10237. He blamyt full bitturly þan his blithe qwene, Þat euer he tentit hir tale.
1724. Ramsay, Gentle Sheph., To Burchet, viii. Yet, tent a poet’s zealous prayer.
1785. Burns, Death & Dr. Hornbook, ix. Ye’re maybe come to stap my breath; But tent me, billie; I red ye weel, tak care o’ skaith, See, there’s a gully [= big knife]!
2. To attend to the safety and needs of, to take or have charge and care of; to look after, see to, mind, attend to, tend (a person, flock, plant, machine, etc.). Now dial. esp. Sc.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 676. Þis ilke wyȝ þat wendez with oure lorde, For to tent hym with tale & teche hym þe gate.
c. 1430. Syr Gener., 2832. Felows he had the toure to tent Which were redie at his comaundment.
c. 1450. Bk. Curtasye, 430, in Babees Bk., 312. The lordys chambur, tho wadrop to, Þo vssher of chambur schalle tent þo two.
1557. in Sharp, Cov. Myst. (1825), 73. Payd for tyntyng the yerthequake, iiij d.
1641. Best, Farm. Bks. (Surtees), 120. After that [he] setteth a boy or girle to tente them.
1686. G. Stuart, Joco-Ser. Disc., 64. When Foxes preach tent weel your Geese.
1728. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc., There’s my Thumb, iii. Tenting my flocks lest they should wander.
1789. Burns, Capt. Grose, i. If there’s a hole in a’ your coats, I rede you tent it.
1844. G. Dodd, Textile Manuf., iv. 125. This ‘plucker’ is generally attended or ‘tented,’ to use a factory phrase, by a boy.
1859. Autobiog. Beggar Boy, 51. I soon got engaged to tent a herd of oxen for the day.
3. To take (ocular) notice of, observe, watch. Sc.
1721. Ramsay, Prospect of Plenty, 3. Tent how the Calidonians, lang supine, Begin, mair wise, to open baith their een.
1875. W. Walsh, Poet. & Pr. Wks., 1. When young you heedless tent the sky.
1888. A. Reid, Sangs Heatherland (1894), 86. Tent her when she hides her face.
4. To be careful, to beware (with clause). Sc.
1737. Ramsay, Scots Prov., xxxiv. § 88. Tent wha ye take by the hand.
1789. Sheph. Wedding (ed. 2), 15 (E.D.D.). Tent what you say!
5. To take care to prevent or hinder (a person) from doing something. north. dial.
1781. Hutton, Tour Caves (ed. 2), Gloss., Tent, to watch or guard from doing a thing.
1863. Mrs. Toogood, Yorks. Dial., s.v., He was going into toon but his father tented him.
1868. Accrington Times, 16 May (E.D.D.). Tent ’em fro’ breyking aot o’ th’ ranks.
1874. Sheffield Indep. (ibid.). He thinks to come here, but I’ll tent him [i.e., take care that he does not].
6. To watch for and scare away (birds); also, to guard (corn, seed, etc.) from birds. north. dial.
1858. P. J. Bailey, The Age, 73.
| I’d give you the congenial occupation | |
| Of scaring crows, and ‘tenting’ vegetation. |
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Tent.… to scare birds from corn. Ibid. (1889), (ed. 2), Tent is used either of the things watched over, or the things guarded against. ‘Oor Bill’s tentin’ to’nup-seäd e’ th’ Beck-boddoms. When I was a lad I spent moäst o’ my time tentin’ craws an’ stock-duvs.’
Hence Tented ppl. a., Tenting vbl. sb. and ppl. a.; tenting-lad dial., a lad or boy employed to watch the crops and scare birds. Also combinations of the verb-stem, as tent-boy = tenting-lad.
c. 1645. T. Tully, Siege of Carlisle (1840), 14. Daily skirmishes … aboute ye fetching in of Cattell, or ye tenting ym in their places of pastures.
1721. Ramsay, Prospect of Plenty, 37. The tempting bait, and tented string, Beguile the cod, the sea-cat, tusk, and ling.
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Tenter, Tenting-lad, a boy who scares birds from corn.
1888. L. Wilson, in J. Brown, Lit. Laureat. (1890), 63. Here seated in his rustic grace, The ‘tent’ boy blew his horn.
