Tenacity
/təˈnæs.ɪ.ti/noun
The quality of holding fast, persistence, or stubborn determination.
Did you know?Tenacity comes from Latin *tenacitas*, from *tenax* meaning “holding fast,” ultimately tied to the same root as *tendon* — a word family built around gripping, stretching, and staying attached.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch; to hold or grasp”
Latin
Latin
tenēre
“to hold, keep, possess”
Classical Latin
Latin
tenāx / tenācitās
“holding fast; persistent, clinging”
Late Latin
Latin
tenacitas
“tenacity, the quality of holding fast”
Middle French
Old French
tenacité
“tenacity; firmness, persistence”
English
English
tenacity
“the quality of holding fast or persisting firmly”