Etymology and origin of the Latin word tensor
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- Ultimate origin
- Latin tendō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
From the same root
Forms
tēnsor m (genitive tēnsōris); third declension[1]
Etymology
It is formed from Latin tendō + -tor, the agent noun from the participle stem tēns- of the verb.[1][2] Tendō “to stretch” goes back to Proto-Italic *tend- and Proto-Indo-European *ten-d(h)- (“to stretch”).[3]
Earliest recorded meaning
It is a New Latin word for something that stretches;[1] in anatomy it names a muscle that stretches or tightens a part, the sense in which English has it from 1704.[2]
Timeline
- 1704 – English borrows it as the anatomical name of muscles that tighten a part.[2]
Meanings
Noun
- (New Latin) That which stretches.[1]
- (New Latin, anatomy) A muscle that stretches or tightens a part.[2]
Related words
- English tensor
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
Cite this entry
“Tensor.” Etymologically, 13 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/tensor. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.
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