Definitions for tenterhook
ˈtɛn tərˌhʊkten·ter·hook

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tenterhooknoun

   one of a series of hooks used to hold cloth on a tenter

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tenterhooknoun

   one of a series of hooks used to stretch cloth on a tenter

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tenterhook

   Tenterhooks or tenter hooks are hooked nails in a device called a tenter. Tenters were wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth. They are now superceeded by stenter pins. The phrase "on tenterhooks" has become a metaphor for nervous anticipation.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tenterhook

   A tenterhook is a hook or a sharp, bent nail, which is used for fastening cloth on a tenter, a frame for stretching cloth. It is often used in the phrase "on tenterhooks," meaning in a state of suspense, anxiety, tension or uneasiness.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tenterhook

   Tenterhooks are hooks in a device called a tenter. Tenters were originally large wooden frames which were used as far back as the 14th century in the process of making woollen cloth. After a piece of cloth was woven, it still contained oil from the fleece and some dirt. A craftsperson called a fuller cleaned the woollen cloth in a fulling mill, and then had to dry it carefully or the woollen fabric would shrink. To prevent this shrinkage, the fuller would place the wet cloth on a tenter, and leave it to dry outdoors. The lengths of wet cloth were stretched on the tenter using tenterhooks all around the perimeter of the frame to which the cloth's edges were fixed, so that as it dried the cloth would retain its shape and size. In some manufacturing areas, entire tenter-fields, larger open spaces full of tenters, were once common. By the mid-18th century, the phrase "on tenterhooks" came to mean being in a state of tension, uneasiness, anxiety, or suspense, i.e. figuratively stretched like the cloth on the tenter. The word tenter is still used today to refer to production line machinery employed to stretch polyester films and similar fabrics. The spelling "stenter" is also found.

Matched Categories

1. • Hook

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

1. [["1673","1"],["1747","1"],["1766","1"],["1812","3"],["1819","3"],["1823","2"],["1826","2"],["1831","5"],["1835","1"],["1839","3"],["1840","1"],["1845","1"],["1846","4"],["1850","5"],["1851","1"],["1852","2"],["1856","1"],["1857","1"],["1858","1"],["1860","2"],["1863","1"],["1865","3"],["1866","7"],["1869","1"],["1871","2"],["1886","2"],["1890","1"],["1891","3"],["1898","2"],["1899","3"],["1903","3"],["1904","2"],["1905","6"],["1907","4"],["1909","1"],["1910","1"],["1913","7"],["1914","4"],["1916","2"],["1917","5"],["1918","1"],["1919","8"],["1920","5"],["1921","13"],["1922","5"],["1923","2"],["1924","4"],["1925","2"],["1926","3"],["1927","2"],["1928","7"],["1929","1"],["1930","1"],["1931","4"],["1938","4"],["1939","1"],["1940","3"],["1941","3"],["1943","6"],["1944","1"],["1945","1"],["1946","2"],["1947","4"],["1948","6"],["1950","6"],["1951","3"],["1952","2"],["1953","2"],["1954","3"],["1955","1"],["1957","2"],["1958","5"],["1959","2"],["1961","9"],["1962","2"],["1964","5"],["1965","6"],["1966","8"],["1967","7"],["1968","2"],["1969","5"],["1970","6"],["1971","5"],["1972","2"],["1973","8"],["1974","1"],["1975","18"],["1976","4"],["1977","10"],["1978","6"],["1979","1"],["1980","6"],["1981","4"],["1982","3"],["1983","1"],["1984","2"],["1985","7"],["1986","2"],["1987","1"],["1988","4"],["1989","5"],["1990","6"],["1991","9"],["1992","7"],["1993","8"],["1994","3"],["1995","8"],["1996","12"],["1997","3"],["1998","9"],["1999","2"],["2000","7"],["2001","14"],["2002","17"],["2003","2"],["2004","13"],["2005","22"],["2006","14"],["2007","14"],["2008","21"]]

Anagrams for tenterhook »

1. heterokont

How to pronounce tenterhook?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say tenterhook in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tenterhook in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tenterhook in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=tenterhook
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Tenterhook
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenterhook
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=tenterhook
6. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=tenterhook