tension

tension (ˈtɛnʃən)

—n
1.	the act of stretching or the state or degree of being stretched
2.	mental or emotional strain; stress
3.	a situation or condition of hostility, suspense, or uneasiness
4.	physics a force that tends to produce an elongation of a body or structure
5.	physics
	a. voltage, electromotive force, or potential difference
	b. (in combination): high-tension; low-tension
6.	a device for regulating the tension in a part, string, thread, etc, as in a sewing machine
7.	knitting the degree of tightness or looseness with which a person knits

[C16: from Latin tensiō, from tendere to strain]

'tensional

—*adj*

'tensionless

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

tension

1533, "a stretched condition," from M.Fr. tension, from L. tensionem (nom. tensio) "a stretching" (in M.L. "a struggle, contest"), from tensus, pp. of tendere "to stretch," from PIE base *ten- "stretch" (see tenet). The sense of "nervous strain" is first recorded 1763. The

meaning "electromotive force" (in high-tension wires) is recorded from 1802.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

tension ten·sion (těn'shən)
n.
Abbr. T

The act or process of stretching something tight.
The condition of so being stretched.
A force tending to stretch or elongate something.
The partial pressure of a gas, especially dissolved in a liquid such as blood.
Mental, emotional, or nervous strain.
Barely controlled hostility or a strained relationship between people or groups.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

tension

(těn'shən) Pronunciation Key

A force that tends to stretch or elongate something.
An electrical potential (voltage), especially as measured in electrical components such as transformers or power lines involved in the transmission of electrical power.

Example sentences

Quite probably, then, tension will increase and the dollar will fall against

other currencies that do not have such a firm peg.

Our guides were nervous, as palpable tension filled the narrow streets.

Surface tension pulls the beads into their distinctive round shape.

The supporting tower in particular can use less material by using high tension

support cables.

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Matching Quote

"Measured by any standard known to science—by horse-power, calories, volts, mass in any shape,—the tension and vibration and volume and so-called progression of society were full a thousand times greater in 1900 than in 1800;Mthe force had doubled ten times over, and the speed, when measured by electrical standards as in telegraphy, approached infinity, and had annihilated both space and time. No law of material movement applied to it."

-Henry Brooks Adams