tensions

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

It is essential to view those tensions as normal, appropriate, and even useful.

So yes, there are lots of similarities but also lots of tensions that would

emerge on a nuts-and-bolts policy level.

Even the youngest were shaped here by the tensions over what they were

compelled and forbidden to believe.

High unemployment and ethnic tensions continue to hamper the country.

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Matching Quote

"It is just possible that the tensions in a novel of murder are the simplest and yet most complete pattern of the tensions on which we live in this generation."

-Raymond Chandler