n.
Pronunciation: ' ten(t)s
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English tens time, tense, from Anglo-French, from Latin tempus
Date: 14th century
1 : a distinction of form in a verb to express distinctions of time or duration of the action or state it denotes
2 a : a set of inflectional forms of a verb that express distinctions of time b : an inflectional form of a verb expressing a specific time distinction