tenuity

tenuity
    n 1: relatively small dimension through an object as opposed to
         its length or width; "the tenuity of a hair"; "the thinness
         of a rope" [syn: {thinness}, {tenuity}, {slenderness}]
         [ant: {thickness}]
    2: a rarified quality; "the tenuity of the upper atmosphere"
       [syn: {rarity}, {tenuity}, {low density}]
    3: the quality of lacking intensity or substance; "a shrill yet
       sweet tenuity of voice"- Nathaniel Hawthorne [syn:
       {feebleness}, {tenuity}]
    

Tenuity \Te*nu"i*ty\, n. [L. tenuitas, from tenuis thin: cf. F.
   t['e]nuit['e]. See {Tenuous}.]
   1. The quality or state of being tenuous; thinness, applied
      to a broad substance; slenderness, applied to anything
      that is long; as, the tenuity of a leaf; the tenuity of a
      hair.
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   2. Rarily; rareness; thinness, as of a fluid; as, the tenuity
      of the air; the tenuity of the blood. --Bacon.
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   3. Poverty; indigence. [Obs.] --Eikon Basilike.
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   4. Refinement; delicacy.
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