tenor tuba See euphonium tenpounder See ladyfish
Tenrikyo \'ten-re-,kyo\ Largest and most successful of the modem Shinto sects in Japan. Its founder, Nakayama Miki (1798-1887), was a charis¬ matic peasant who, at age 40, claimed to be possessed by a god of divine wisdom. She developed a form of worship characterized by ecstatic danc¬ ing and shamanistic practices, and a doctrine emphasizing charity and the healing of disease through mental acts of faith. Her writings and deeds were considered divine models. Tenrikyo was one of the most powerful religious movements in Japan immediately after World War II, and its membership reached about 2.5 million in the late 20th century.
tense In grammar, an inflected form of a verb indicating the time of a narrated event in relation to the time at which the narrator is speaking. Time is often perceived as a continuum with three main divisions, past, present, and future, defined in relation to the time when the event is described. Other categories, including mood and aspect, may further specify the action as definite or indefinite, completed or not completed, lasting or nonlasting, and recurring or occurring once.
tensile \'ten-sol\ strength Ratio of the maximum load a material can support without fracture when being stretched to the original area of a cross section of the material. When STRESSes less than the tensile strength are removed, a material completely or partially returns to its original size and shape. As the stress approaches that of the tensile strength, a mate¬ rial that has begun to flow forms a narrow, constricted region that is eas¬ ily fractured. Tensile strengths are measured in units of force per unit area. See also deformation and flow.
Tenskwatawa See The Prophet
tensor analysis Branch of mathematics concerned with relations or laws that remain valid regardless of the coordinate system used to specify the quantities. Tensors, invented as an extension of vectors, are essential to the study of manifolds. Every vector is a tensor, but tensors are more general and not easily pictured as geometrical objects. A tensor can be thought of as an abstract object defined as a set of components (like geo¬ metric coordinates) that, under a transformation of coordinates, undergo a specific type of transformation. While tensors were explored before
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1888 I tent caterpillar ► Terbrugghen
Albert Einstein, the success of his general theory of relativity led to their widespread exploration and use by mathematicians and physicists.
tent caterpillar Any moth larva of the genus Malacosoma (family Lasiocampidae). Tent caterpillars are often brightly coloured. Congrega¬ tions of the eastern tent caterpillar (M americanum ) of eastern North America spin huge, tent-shaped communal nests in forked tree branches. Eggs the moth deposits on a tree in midsummer hatch in spring. The hatched caterpillars migrate to a tree crotch and construct a silken tent, which they leave each day throughout the summer to feed on the sur¬ rounding leaves. The forest tent caterpillar (M. disstria) is common in the southern U.S.
tent structure Building that uses masts or poles and tensile membrane (e.g., fabric or animal skin) enclosures. Tent structures are prestressed by externally applied forces so that they are held taut under anticipated load conditions. Tents have been the dwelling places of most of the world’s nomadic peoples, from ancient times until the present. The traditional Bedouin tent consists of a rectangular membrane of strips of woven camel hair that is strained on webbing straps and secured with guys over a rect¬ angle of poles. The American Plains Indians developed the conical tepee. The Central Asian nomadic pole dwelling, or yurt, uses skins and textiles as its covering. See also membrane structure, pole construction.
Tenure of Office Act (1867) Law forbidding the U.S. president to remove civil officers without the consent of the Senate. Passed by the Radical Republicans over the veto of Pres. Andrew Johnson, the measure sought to prevent Johnson from removing cabinet members who sup¬ ported Congress’s harsh Reconstruction policies. When Johnson tried to dismiss his secretary of war, Edwin M. Stanton, an ally of the Radical Republicans, Congress began impeachment proceedings against him. The law was partially repealed in 1869 and completely repealed in 1887; in 1926 it was found unconstitutional.
Tenzing Norgay Vten-.ziq-'nor-geV (b. May 15, 1914, Tshechu, Tibet [now Tibet Autonomous Region, China]—d. May 9, 1986, Darjeeling [now Darjiling], India) Tibetan Sherpa mountaineer. Tenzing served on numerous expeditions before joining Edmund Hillary as sirdar, or organizer of porters. In 1953 he and Hillary became the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. A devout Buddhist, Tenzing left an offering of food at Everest’s summit.
teosinte X.ta-o-'sin-teN Tall, stout, annual grass ( Zea mexicana or Euchlaena mexicana) of the family Poaceae (or Gramineae), native to Mexico. Related to corn, teosinte grows in large clumps, producing bundles of fruiting spikes enclosed in husks and with silk hanging from the upper ends, similar to com ears. Species of corn have recently been crossed with teosinte to produce a perennial variety of corn.
Teotihuacan X.ta-o-.te-wa-'kanN Largest (though not most populous) city of pre-Columbian central Mexico, about 30 mi (50 km) northeast of modern Mexico City. Teotihuacan wielded its greatest influence in the first 900 years ad, after which it was sacked by the Toltecs. At its height, some 150,000 people lived in the city, which covered about 8 sq mi (21 sq km). Its plazas, temples, and palaces are dominated by the Pyramid of the Moon and the huge Pyramid of the Sun. Teotihuacan was the capital of one of the earliest Mesoamerican civilizations, and some consider it also to have been the centre of Toltec civilization. See also Tula.
Tepe Gawra \'te-pa-gau-'ra\ Ancient city, Mesopotamia. Located near present-day Mosul, Iraq, it was continuously occupied from the mid-6th to the mid-2nd millennium bc and gave its name to the Gawra Period (c. 3500-2900 bc). Its remains include the earliest known temple decorated with pilasters and recesses, a style that remained dominant in Mesopo¬ tamia for centuries. Its archaeological record illustrates the transition from early Stone Age farming villages to complex settlements.
Tepe Yahya \'te-pa-'ya-ya\ Ancient trading city, southeastern Iran. Almost continuously occupied in the 5th-3rd millennia bc, it flourished as a centre for the production and distribution of soapstone before being abandoned during the 2nd millennium. It was reoccupied from c. 1000 bc to c. ad 400.
tepee or tipi Tall tent dwelling used by the Plains Indians. It was suited to their nomadic life of buffalo hunting, because it could be easily folded and dragged by a horse. It was made by stretching dressed and fitted buf¬ falo skins over a skeleton of 20-30 wooden poles, all slanted in toward a central point and tied together near the top. A flap at the top allowed smoke
to escape, and a flap at the bottom served as a doorway. The tepee became a popular symbol of all American Indians, although the wigwam, wick¬ iup, hogan, igloo, and longhouse were at least as important.
Tepic \ta-'pek\ City (pop., 2000: 265,817), capital of Nayarit state, west- central Mexico. It lies along the Tepic River, at the foot of an extinct vol¬ cano. Founded in 1542, much of the city retains a Spanish colonial atmosphere. Its isolation limited its growth until construction of the rail¬ road in 1912; since then it has become a commercial, industrial, and agri¬ cultural centre. Nearby are Toltec ruins.
tequila Uo-'ke-loN Distilled liquor, usually clear in colour and unaged, made from the fermented juice of the Mexican agave plant. (See agave family.) It contains 40-50% alcohol. It was developed soon after the Span¬ iards brought distillation to Mexico, and is named for the town of Tequila. It is mixed with lime juice and orange liqueur to make the margarita cocktail, which is served in a glass rimmed with salt. Mescal, a stronger- flavoured liquor, is made from a wild agave from Oaxaca.