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suspense

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sus⋅pense

  [suh-spens]
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–noun
1. a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety.
2. a state of mental indecision.
3. undecided or doubtful condition, as of affairs: For a few days matters hung in suspense.
4. the state or condition of being suspended.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME < ML suspēnsum deferment, suspension, uncertainty, n. use of neut. of L suspēnsus hung up, doubtful, in suspense (ptp. of suspendere to hang up, leave undecided), equiv. to sus- sus- + pēnsus (pend-, s. of pendere (trans.) to hang (see pend ) + -tus ptp. suffix, with dt > s)

Related forms:
sus⋅pense⋅ful, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sus·pense   (sə-spěns')   
n.  

  1. The condition of being physically suspended.

    1. The state or quality of being undecided, uncertain, or doubtful.

    2. Pleasurable excitement and anticipation regarding an outcome, such as the ending of a mystery novel.

  3. Anxiety or apprehension resulting from an uncertain, undecided, or mysterious situation.


[Middle English, from Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus, past participle of suspendere, to suspend; see suspend.]
sus·pense'ful adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

suspense 
1402, "not being executed, unfulfilled" (of legal matters), from Anglo-Fr. suspens (in en suspens "in abeyance," 1306), from O.Fr. suspens "act of suspending," from L. suspensus, pp. of suspendere (see suspend). Meaning "state of mental uncertainty" (1440) is from legal meaning of "not rendered, not paid, not carried out" (e.g. suspended sentence). As a genre of novels, stories, etc., attested from 1952.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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