English
tension
Tension comes from Latin tēnsiō, from Proto-Italic *tendō ‘to stretch’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *téndeti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*téndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tendō‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtendō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtēnsiō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600tension
- Englishearliest quotation 1959same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*téndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tendō‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtendō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtēnsiō
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600tension
- Englishearliest quotation 1959same form
Earliest quotation: 1959, Clacton and Walton Electrification: “Most of the overhead system is of the weight-tensioned…”
A compound of *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’ + *tend- ‘to stretch, extend’
Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
Proto-Indo-European *tend- ‘to stretch, extend’
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *tendō ‘to stretch’
pretend, extend, attendance, intend, tender, intentional, contend, pretense, entendre, inattention, portend, 32 more
through Latin tendō
attention, tend, extent, extensive, intention, tense, contention, tempt, tensor, entente, extensible, portent, détente, detent, 45 more
Today it means
noun The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *téndeti / tension