tenuity, tenuitie

[Fr. tenuité, from Latin tenuitatem, acc us. of tenuitas, from tenuis = thin.] 1. The quality or state of being tenuous or thin; thinne , slenderne ; smallne in diameter. "In the iris of the eye, and the drum of the ear, the tenuity of the muscles is astonishing."- Paley : Natural Theology , ch. ix. 2. Rarity, rarene , thinne , as of a fluid; as, the tenuity of the atmosphere. *3. Simplicity, plainne ; absence of grandeur; meanne . *4. Poverty. "The tenuity and contempt of clergymen will soon let them see what a poor carca they are, when parted from the influence of that supremacy."- King Charles: Eikon Basilike .