tensed

Variant of tense

tense definition

tense (tens)

adjective tenser tens′er, tensest tens′·est

  1. stretched tight; strained; taut
  2. feeling, showing, or causing mental strain; anxious
  3. Phonet. articulated with the jaw and tongue muscles relatively rigid: said of certain vowels, as (ē) and (o̵̅o̅)

Etymology: L tensus, pp. of tendere, to stretch < IE *tend- < base *ten-, to stretch > thin

transitive verb, intransitive verb tensed, tensing tens′·ing

to make or become tense

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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