Plural of tender; can mean offers to supply goods or services at a certain price, or pieces of meat, or boats that serve larger ships.
From Latin 'tendere' meaning 'to stretch or offer.' The word evolved to mean 'an offer or proposal' (something stretched out for acceptance) and developed multiple specific meanings in business and nautical contexts.
When a company puts out a 'tender,' they're literally 'stretching out' an offer for you to grab onto—the original meaning of 'tender' from Latin perfectly captures what happens when businesses bid for contracts!
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