TENSE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English tens time, ~, from Anglo-French, from Latin tempus Date: 14th century a distinction of form in a verb to express distinctions of time or duration of the action or state it denotes, 2. a set of inflectional forms of a verb that express distinctions of time, an inflectional form of a verb expressing a specific time distinction, II. adjective (~r; ~st) see: thin Date: 1668 stretched tight ; made taut ; rigid , 2. feeling or showing nervous tension , marked by strain or suspense , produced with the muscles involved in a relatively ~ state , ~ly adverb ~ness noun III. verb (~d; tensing) Date: 1676 transitive verb to make ~, intransitive verb to become ~