mean vs tender

mean

adj
  • Of a common or low origin, grade, or quality; common; humble. 

  • Intending to cause harm, successfully or otherwise; bearing ill will towards another. 

  • Low in quality or degree; inferior; poor; shabby. 

  • Having the mean (see noun below) as its value; average. 

  • Disobliging; pettily offensive or unaccommodating. 

  • Ungenerous; stingy; tight-fisted. 

  • Accomplished with great skill; deft; hard to compete with. 

  • Of little value or worth; worthy of little or no regard; contemptible; despicable. 

  • Powerful; fierce; strong. 

  • Without dignity of mind; destitute of honour; low-minded; spiritless; base. 

  • Difficult, tricky. 

verb
  • To be of some level of importance. 

  • To have as intentions of a given kind. 

  • To intend an ensuing comment or statement as an explanation.https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/i_mean%20I%20mean 

  • To cause or produce (a given result); to bring about (a given result). 

  • Of a word, symbol etc: to have reference to, to signify. 

  • To have conviction in (something said or expressed); to be sincere in (what one says). 

  • Of a person (or animal etc): to intend to express, to imply, to hint at, to allude. 

  • To intend (something) for a given purpose or fate; to predestine. 

  • To intend, to plan (to do); to have as one's intention. 

  • To lament. 

  • To convey (a given sense); to signify, or indicate (an object or idea). 

noun
  • The middle part of three-part polyphonic music; now specifically, the alto part in polyphonic music; an alto instrument. 

  • Something which is intermediate or in the middle; an intermediate value or range of values; a medium. 

  • The average of a set of values, calculated by summing them together and dividing by the number of terms; the arithmetic mean. 

  • Any function of multiple variables that satisfies certain properties and yields a number representative of its arguments; or, the number so yielded; a measure of central tendency. 

  • Either of the two numbers in the middle of a conventionally presented proportion, as 2 and 3 in 1:2=3:6. 

  • A method or course of action used to achieve some result. 

tender

adj
  • Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet. 

  • Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate. 

  • Heeling over too easily when under sail; said of a vessel. 

  • Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained. 

  • Soft and easily chewed. 

  • Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate. 

  • Physically weak; not able to endure hardship. 

  • Sensitive or painful to the touch. 

  • Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic. 

  • Young and inexperienced. 

noun
  • Any offer or proposal made for acceptance. 

  • A smaller boat used for transportation between a large ship and the shore. 

  • A formal offer to buy or sell something. 

  • A railroad car towed behind a steam engine to carry fuel and water. 

  • A naval ship that functions as a mobile base for other ships. 

  • A means of payment such as a check or cheque, cash or credit card. 

  • Anything which is offered, proffered, put forth or bid with the expectation of a response, answer, or reply. 

  • The inner flight muscle (pectoralis minor) of poultry. 

adv
  • tenderly 

verb
  • to offer a payment, as at sales or auctions. 

  • To offer, to give. 

  • To work on a tender. 

How often have the words mean and tender occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )