Tension

How to spell tension

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce tension

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does tension mean?

1. nounThe state of being stretched tight, or the mental and physical strain that comes from worry or pressure.
2. nounA strained or hostile state between people, groups, or nations.

Tension in a sentence

• The tight deadline kept the whole office under constant tension.

• Trade tension between the two countries delayed the agreement.

• She adjusted the tension on the sewing machine before stitching the seam.

• There was visible tension between the two managers during the meeting.

Where does tension come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin tensio, meaning 'a stretching', which was built on the verb tendere, 'to stretch' or 'to strain'. English took it in around the late 1500s, partly through French tension, first using it for the physical act of stretching something tight, such as a rope or a muscle. From that literal pulling sense it broadened to describe mental strain and uneasy feelings, since a stressed mind feels stretched taut, and later to strained relations between people or nations. The same tendere root quietly powers a large family of English words, including tend, extend, tendon, and intense, all of which carry that idea of stretching or straining. Remembering that core 'tens' (stretch) element helps explain the s before the -ion, rather than the c that trips up some writers.

How the word is built

• tens (from Latin tendere: to stretch)
• -ion (noun-forming suffix)