Synonym Game

tenses

Origin

tense

1[tens] ,adjective, tens·er, tens·est, verb, tensed, tens·ing.
adjective
1.
stretched tight, as a cord, fiber, etc.; drawn taut; rigid.
2.
in a state of mental or nervous strain; high-strung; taut: a tense person.
3.
characterized by a strain upon the nerves or feelings: a tense moment.
4.
Phonetics. pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles; narrow. Compare lax (def. 7).
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
5.
to make or become tense.

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Tenses is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.

Origin:
1660–70; < Latin tēnsus past participle of tendere to stretch; see tend1

tense·ly, adverb
tense·ness, noun
un·tens·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged

tense

2[tens]
noun
1.
a category of verbal inflection that serves chiefly to specify the time of the action or state expressed by the verb.
2.
a set of such categories or constructions in a particular language.
3.
the time, as past, present, or future, expressed by such a category.
4.
such categories or constructions, or their meanings collectively.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English tens < Middle French < Latin tempus time

tense·less, adjective
tense·less·ly, adverb
tense·less·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tense
"form of a verb showing time of an action or state," early 14c., tens "time," also "tense of a verb" (late 14c.), from O.Fr. tens "time" (11c.), from L. tempus (see temporal).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

tense definition


An inflectional (see inflection) form of verbs; it expresses the time at which the action described by the verb takes place. The major tenses are past, present, and future. The verb in “I sing” is in the present tense; in “I sang,” past tense; in “I will sing,” future tense. Other tenses are the present perfect (“I have sung”), the past perfect (“I had sung”), and the future perfect (“I will have sung”).

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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