tension

tension
tensional, adj.tensionless, adj.
/ten"sheuhn/, n.
1. the act of stretching or straining.
2. the state of being stretched or strained.
3. mental or emotional strain; intense, suppressed suspense, anxiety, or excitement.
4. a strained relationship between individuals, groups, nations, etc.
5. (not in current use) pressure, esp. of a vapor.
6. Mech.
a. the longitudinal deformation of an elastic body that results in its elongation.
b. the force producing such deformation.
7. Elect. electromotive force; potential.
8. Mach. a device for stretching or pulling something.
9. a device to hold the proper tension on the material being woven in a loom.
v.t.
10. to subject (a cable, belt, tendon, or the like) to tension, esp. for a specific purpose.
[1525-35; < L tension- (s. of tensio) a stretching. See TENSE1, -ION]

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art
      a balance maintained in an artistic work (such as a poem, painting, or musical composition) between opposing forces or elements; a controlled dramatic or dynamic quality.

      In literature the term has been variously used and defined. The poet and critic Allen Tate (Tate, Allen) used it to refer to the elements that are necessary for a work to be considered whole or complete. This sense of tension was derived by Tate from two terms used in logic—extension (literal meaning) and intension (metaphorical meaning)—from which he dropped the prefixes, and it refers to a mutually dependent relationship between these different forms of meaning. Though the existence of both kinds of meaning creates a conflict, they are both necessary because it is this conflict or tension that gives poetry its meaning.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • tension — [ tɑ̃sjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1490; lat. tensio I ♦ (Concret) 1 ♦ Physiol. État d un tissu, d un organe distendu. Résistance opposée par une paroi organique aux liquides, aux gaz contenus dans la cavité qu elle limite. Tension de la paroi abdominale. 2 ♦… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Tension — Ten sion, n. [L. tensio, from tendere, tensum, to stretch: cf. F. tension. See {Tense}, a.] 1. The act of stretching or straining; the state of being stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being bent strained; as, the tension of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tension — may refer to:In science: *Tension (physics), a force related to the stretching of an object (the opposite of compression) *High tension, in electrical power transmission, wires which carry high voltages *Stress (medicine), also referred to as… …   Wikipedia

  • tensión — sustantivo femenino 1. Área: física, física Estado de un cuerpo elástico cuando dos o más fuerzas actúan sobre él: Hay que darle más tensión a las cuerdas de la guitarra. tensión superficial Fuerza que ejercen las moléculas del interior de un… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • tension — Tension. s. f. v. Estat de ce qui est tendu. Tension de nerfs. cette fluxion luy causoit une grande tension à la peau. Il se prend aussi fig. pour Grande application d esprit. Il s est épuisé par une trop grande tension d esprit. dans ce travail… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • tensión — f. fisiol. Resistencia que ofrecen las paredes de aquellas cavidades orgánicas que contienen un líquido o un gas en su interior, como el sistema circulatorio y la sangre, o el ojo y el humor vítreo. Medical Dictionary. 2011. tensión …   Diccionario médico

  • tension — 1530s, a stretched condition, from M.Fr. tension, from L. tensionem (nom. tensio) a stretching (in M.L. a struggle, contest ), from tensus, pp. of tendere to stretch, from PIE root *ten stretch (see TENET (Cf. tenet)). The sense of nervou …   Etymology dictionary

  • tension — ► NOUN 1) the state of being tense. 2) mental or emotional strain. 3) a situation in which there is conflict or strain because of differing views, aims, or elements. 4) the degree of stitch tightness in knitting and machine sewing. 5) voltage of… …   English terms dictionary

  • tension — [ten′shən] n. [< MFr or L: MFr < L tensio < tensus: see TENSE1] 1. a tensing or being tensed 2. mental or nervous strain, often accompanied by muscular tautness 3. a state of strained relations; uneasiness due to mutual hostility 4. a… …   English World dictionary

  • Tension — (lat./engl.: Spannung) bezeichnet in der physikalischen Chemie Druck, Spannung, siehe Druck (Physik) die Spannung einer Saite alternativ zur Saitenstärke in der Jazzharmonik einen Spannungston, der zu einem Akkord hinzugenommen wird: Tension… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • tension — [n1] tightness astriction, balance, constriction, force, pressure, rigidity, stiffness, strain, straining, stress, stretching, tautness, tenseness, tensity; concepts 723,726 Ant. limpness, looseness, relaxation, slack tension [n2] mental stress… …   New thesaurus

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