tense

pronunciation

How to pronounce tense in British English: UK [tens] word uk audio image

How to pronounce tense in American English: US [tens] word us audio image

Noun:

a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
Verb:

stretch or force to the limit
increase the tension on
become tense or tenser
make tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious
Adjective:

in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')
taut or rigid; stretched tight

Word Origin

tense: tense: English has two separate words tense. The older, ‘verb form indicating time’ [14], came via Old French tens from Latin tempus ‘time’ (source also of English temporal, temporary, etc). The original meaning ‘time’ survived into English, but died out in the early 16th century. The adjective tense [17] was adapted from tensus, the past participle of Latin tendere ‘stretch’ (source also of English tend, tendency, etc). It originally meant simply ‘stretched tight’, and the metaphorical ‘strained’ did not emerge until the 19th century. Tension [16] comes from the Latin derivative tensiō.=> temporary; tend

tense (adj.): "stretched tight," 1660s, from Latin tensus, past participle of tendere "to stretch, extend" (see tenet). Figurative sense of "in a state of nervous tension" is first recorded 1821. Related: Tensely; tenseness.

tense (n.): "form of a verb showing time of an action or state," early 14c., tens "time," also "tense of a verb" (late 14c.), from Old French tens "time, period of time, era; occasion, opportunity; weather" (11c., Modern French temps), from Latin tempus "a portion of time" (also source of Spanish tiempo, Italian tempo; see temporal).

tense (v.): "to make tense," 1670s, from tense (adj.); intransitive sense of "to become tense" (often tense up) is recorded from 1946. Related: Tensed; tensing.