ˈten(t)sən noun
also ten·so -nˌsō ; or ten·zon -nzən
( -s )
Etymology: tenson from French, from Middle French tençon, tenson, from Provençal tensoun; tenzon from Italian tenzone, from Provençal tensoun; tenso from Provençal tensoun, tenso quarrel, contest, tenson, from Latin tension-, tensio tension — more at tension
: a lyric poem of dispute composed by Provençal troubadours in which two opponents speak alternate stanzas, lines, or groups of lines usually identical in structure — compare d é bat , partimen