Te*nac"i*ty (?), n. [L. tenacitas: cf. F. t'enacit'e. See Tenacious.]

1.

The quality or state of being tenacious; as, tenacity, or retentiveness, of memory; tenacity, or persistency, of purpose.

2.

That quality of bodies which keeps them from parting without considerable force; cohesiveness; the effect of attraction; -- as distinguished from brittleness, fragility, mobility, etc.

3.

That quality of bodies which makes them adhere to other bodies; adhesiveness; viscosity.

Holland.

4. Physics

The greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing asunder, -- usually expressed with reference to a unit area of the cross section of the substance, as the number of pounds per square inch, or kilograms per square centimeter, necessary to produce rupture.

© Webster 1913.