Etymologically
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tension

Etymology and origin of the English word tension

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1533
Borrowed from
Middle French tension
Ultimate origin
Latin (tendo)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin tensio
English tension

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɛnʃn̩/ (UK); /ˈtɛnʃən/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French tension or directly borrowed from Latin tēnsio (“a stretching”),[2][3][4] a noun of state from tēnsus, the past participle of tendere (“to stretch”) (see tend),[2][3] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A stretched condition, especially in the body: 1533, in Elyot's Castel of Helth.[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

In mechanics and physics, the stress produced by stretching is from the 1680s.[3] Electromotive force, as in high-tension wires, is from 1785.[3][2] Strain of the mental powers is from before 1763,[2][5] and nervous or emotional strain from 1847.[5] A strained relationship between people or nations follows.[6][7] In psychology, tension is a state of strain from anxiety or need (1884).[5]

Timeline

  • 1533 – a stretched condition.[2][5]
  • 1680s – in mechanics.[3]
  • before 1763 – mental strain.[2]
  • 1785 – electrical tension.[3]
  • 1847 – emotional strain.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state of being stretched tight.
  2. Mental or emotional strain; stress.
  3. A strained relationship between people or groups.
  4. (physics) A pulling force; also voltage, as in high tension.

Verb

  1. To apply tension to.

Word family

  • tensional
  • tensionless
  • tensioner
  • hypertension
  • hypotension
  • pretension
  • overtension
  • posttension

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Tension.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/tension. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·