n.
The act of distending or the state of being distended.
[Middle English distensioun, from Old French, from Latin distēnsiō, distēnsiōn-, alteration of distentiō, from distentus, past participle of distendere, to distend. See distend.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
