tense¹ (tĕns)
adj., tens·er, tens·est.

1. Tightly stretched; taut. See synonyms at stiff, tight.
2. In a state of mental or nervous tension.
3. Characterized by nervous tension or suspense.
4. Linguistics. Enunciated with taut muscles, as the sound (ē) in keen.

tr. & intr.v., tensed, tens·ing, tens·es.
To make or become tense.

[Latin tēnsus, past participle of tendere, to stretch.]

tensely tense'ly adv.
tenseness tense'ness n.

tense² (tĕns)
n.

1. Any one of the inflected forms in the conjugation of a verb that indicates the time, such as past, present, or future, as well as the continuance or completion of the action or state.
2. A set of tense forms indicating a particular time: the future tense.

[Middle English tens, from Old French, time, from Latin tempus.]

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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.

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