■ noun
1》 the state of being tense.
↘a strained state or condition resulting from forces acting in opposition to each other.
2》 mental or emotional strain.
↘a strained political or social state.
3》 the degree of stitch tightness in knitting and machine sewing.
4》 voltage of specified magnitude: high ~.
■ verb subject to ~.
Derivatives
~al adjective
~ally adverb
~er noun
~less adjective
Origin
C16: from Fr., or from L. tensio(n-) , from tendere 'to stretch'.