tenella

1 tenella [ME, AN tenel, OF tenaille < CL tenaculum] 1 (usu. pl.) instrument for gripping, tongs, pincers, forceps, pliers. 1269 [took up some tongs] tanellas CalIMisc 2142; c1280 pro duobus tenailis vj d. KR Ac 485/22 m. 1; 1312 in panetria ‥ ij paria tinellarum pro igne LTR Ac 19 r. 31; 1346 de ‥ viij martellis, vj paribus ~arum, x garbis asceris (Pat) EHR XXVI 689; 1392 j veru de ferro ‥ j par ~arum de ferro Test. Ebor. I 173; a pair of tanges, in plurali numero, tenalia CathA; 1527 caminos, ~os, craticulasque ferreas Form. S. Andr. I 202. 2 that which is gripped or grasped, handle. 1390 de uno calefactorio argenteo albo signato extra in tenell' uno scuto de armis Ac. Foreign 25 G (cf. ib.: de ‥ iiij coclearibus arg' alb' ‥ signatis in tenell' armis quartellatis); 1390 de ‥ iiij ollis arg' alb' ‥ unde una signata in ~o cum una rosa Ib. 25 G d..

2 tenella [AN tenelle], (lord's) residence, household. 1384 articulos ‥ per ipsum fratrem ‥ in sermone publico predicatos ac in ~is dominorum et locis aliis proborum virorum ‥ coram laicis dogmatizatos Ziz. 354; 1394 corrodium subscriptum, viz. ‥ de coquina nostra tantum ‥ quantum monachus comedens in †tenerella [? l. ~a] nostra percipit (Ep.) Comp. Swith. 164.