Tentative
/ˈtɛn.tə.tɪv/noun
Not certain or fixed; done as a trial or in a tentative way.
Did you know?Tentative ultimately traces back to Latin *tentare*, meaning “to try” or “to handle,” a root tied to the ancient idea that to know something is to test it physically.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch, extend”
Latin
Latin
tendere
“to stretch, extend”
Latin
Latin
tentare
“to try, test, handle repeatedly”
Late Latin
Latin
tentativus
“inclined to try or test”
Middle French
Old French
tentatif
“attempting, experimental”
Late Middle English
English
tentative
“provisional, experimental”
Modern English
English
tentative
“not fully decided or fixed”