Tenderness is gentle warmth, or soreness to the touch. Great tenderness, tenderness in the abdomen, treat with tenderness.
The two senses are far apart and both are common — one belongs to love and the other to medicine, where tenderness is what a doctor finds by pressing. Rebound tenderness, which hurts more on release, is a warning sign. Note tender, from the Latin for soft.
1nountendernessGentle warmth of feeling.
“He held the newborn baby with great tenderness.”
2nounsorenessSoreness to the touch.
“There's still some tenderness around the bruise when I press it.”
tenderness is a warmth, or a soreness.
Tender plus -ness, from Latin tener, soft or delicate.
Middle English
tender
English
tender
English, today
tenderness
From tender + -ness. tender comes from Middle English tender. From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tendre, Old French tendre, from Latin tener (“soft, delicate”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA