tensen.
/tɛns/, U.S. /tɛns/ 1. Time. Obsolete or archaic (except in allusion to 2).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > [noun]
tide and (or) timea1225
tensec1315
time1340
c1315 Shoreham Poems i. 1061 And foluelle þat remenaunt Ine purgatoryes tense Eft-sone.
c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. (1869) I. 377 Þe Gospel of Maudelen Dai is red on Fridai in Quarter Tense in Septembre among Ferials. [Editor's note. ‘Quatuor Tempora’, or, as it is called in Ireland, Quarter Tense; for the gospel read on St. Mary Magdalen's day (July 22) is the same as that for Ember Friday in September.]
c1386 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. & Tale 322 It is to seken..That future temps hath maad men disseuere, In trust ther-of, from al þat euere they hadde.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xliv. 214 For onely of hym it is especiall,..in finall, The future tence to knowe directly.
1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. v. 85 There are three Tenses, Tempora, or Times; and there is one Eternity.]
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 576 To fast and abstain on the days commanded, it being quarter tense or, if not, ember days or something like that.
2.
a. Grammar. Any one of the different forms or modifications (or word-groups) in the conjugation of a verb which indicate the different times (past, present, or future) at which the action or state denoted by it is viewed as happening or existing, and also (by extension) the different nature of such action or state, as continuing (imperfect) or completed (perfect); also abstract that quality of a verb which depends on the expression of such differences.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > tense > [noun]
timeOE
tensea1450
a1450 (a1397) Prol. Old Test. in Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Cambr. Mm.2.15) (1850) xv. 57 A participl of a present tens..may be resoluid into a verbe of the same tens, and a coniunccion copulatif.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement Introd. 31 These thre accidentes, mode, tens and declination parsonall.
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (vii. 2) The tenses or tymes of verbes are oftentymes chaunged among the Hebrewes.
1574 A. Golding in J. Baret Aluearie To Rdr. sig. **.1 The Coniugation, Nomber, Person, Tence, And Moode of Verbes.
1580 W. Fulke T. Stapleton & Martiall Confuted iv. 169 Findeth fault with him for giuing the aoristes the signification of the present temps.
a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Old Law (1656) iv. 49 Thou preterpluperfect tence of a woman.
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §11 In Eternity there is no distinction of Tenses . View more context for this quotation
1751 J. Harris Hermes i. vii. 119 The Tenses are used to mark Present, Past, and Future Time.
1871 H. J. Roby Gram. Lat. Lang. ii. xvi. §549 [In Latin there are] Six tenses... Three, denoting incomplete action... Three, denoting completed action.
1876 C. P. Mason Eng. Gram. (ed. 21) §212 The tenses of the English verb are made partly by inflection, partly by the use of auxiliary verbs.
Categories »
b. figurative or allusively, in collocation with mood: see mood n.2 2b.
Compounds
General attributive in sense 2. C1.
tense-aspect n.
ΚΠ
1892 H. Sweet New Eng. Gram. I. 101 By tense-aspect we understand distinctions of time independent of any reference to past, present, or future.
1980 Eng. World-wide 1 i. 113 It seems as though the tense-aspect system of English has been restructured.
tense-form n.
ΚΠ
1871 H. J. Roby Gram. Lat. Lang. ii. xvi. §550 All verbs in the passive have in the Indicative only three simple tense-forms.
tense-making n.
ΚΠ
1875 W. D. Whitney Life & Growth Lang. vii. 123 A case or two of verbal tense-making.
tense marker n.
ΚΠ
1971 E. Jones in J. Spencer Eng. Lang. W. Afr. 83 Krio is equipped with a range of tense markers, as may be seen from the following set.
1978 Language 54 84 The advocates of abstract remote structures posit auxiliaries including negative and tense markers as main verbs.
tense stem n.
ΚΠ
1935 T. Hudson-Williams Short Introd. Study Compar. Gram. xiii. 72 The endings were added to each tense-stem.
1971 Archivum Linguisticum 2 100 The subjunctive is originally independent from the so-called tense stems, as is evident in Celtic and Tocharian and also in Latin.
tense system n.
ΚΠ
1951 W. K. Matthews Langs. U.S.S.R. iv. 75 The tense system is complicated by being carried into the non-finite grammatical categories, including the gerund.
1963 J. Lyons Struct. Semantics vi. 112 The ‘tense-system’ may be set out in terms of the two dimensions of time and aspect.
C2.
tense-expressing adj.
ΚΠ
1886 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. Dec. 448 That the present subjunctives of posse and videri..can..become tense-expressing.
tense marking adj.
ΚΠ
1962 C. Barber in F. Behre Contrib. Eng. Syntax 27 Any combination of four tense-markings.
tense-modal adj.
ΚΠ
1921 E. Sapir Lang. v. 96 Had the statement been made on another's authority, a totally different ‘tense-modal’ suffix would have had to be used.
1965 Language 41 173 1200 adverbial suffixes, partly tense-modal.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
tenseadj.
/tɛns/, U.S. /tɛns/ 1.
a. Drawn tight, stretched taut; strained to stiffness; tight, rigid: chiefly said of cords, fibres, or membranes. Opposed to lax, flaccid. Also transferred of a sensation, the breathing, the pulse.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > hardness > types of hardness > [adjective] > taut
stiffc1386
unrelaxed1508
taut1567
tight1576
strait1578
strict1578
starka1642
tense1671
stith1825
strict1860
stent1886
1671 Philos. Trans. 1670 (Royal Soc.) 5 2059 Whether the Mercury..be sustain'd by the external Air, or by a Tense matter within.
1676 R. Wiseman Severall Chirurg. Treat. (R.) The skin was tense, also rimpled and blistered.
1729 W. Rutty in Philos. Trans. 1727–8 (Royal Soc.) 35 563 She complain'd..now and then of a tense Pain and a Difficulty in Respiration.
1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters i. 75 Fiddle-strings are..much more tense in wet weather than in dry.
1802 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 8 518 A small spasmodic and very tense pulse of 120, which as the pain increased, resembled the vibration of a musical string.
1834 J. Forbes tr. R. T. H. Laennec Treat. Dis. Chest (ed. 4) 529 The artery remains full and tense, and resists strongly the compressing finger.
1879 A. W. Tourgée Fool's Errand xxxvi. 254 With every muscle as tense as those of the tiger waiting for his leap.
b. Entomology. Applied to the abdomen when not divided or transversely folded, as in spiders.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > parts of insects > [adjective] > of abdomen > of undivided abdomen
tense1826
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 350 [Abdomen] Tense..when it is not folded. Ex. Most Araneidæ.
c. spec. in Phonetics, applied to (the articulation of) a speech-sound pronounced with enhanced tension in the muscles of the speech organs. Cf. lax adj. 5c, slack adj. 7e.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > vowel > [adjective] > types of
openeOE
sharp?1533
simple1582
small1599
soft1625
obscurea1637
round1710
slender1755
close1760
wide1824
lowered1836
narrow1844
labialized1856
orinasal1856
central1857
reduced1861
free1864
high1867
low1867
mid1867
mixed1867
rounded1867
unrounded1871
raised1876
unreduced1894
obscured1897
spread1902
lax1909
slack1909
tense1909
centralized1926
flat1934
r-coloured1935
checked1943
1909 H. C. Wyld Elem. Lessons Eng. Gram. ii. 28 Vowels formed with the tongue tense we call Tense Vowels, those with the tongue soft we call Slack Vowels.
1909 D. Jones Pronunc. of Eng. i. iii. 12 The difference in quality between a tense vowel and the corresponding lax vowel..is sometimes very considerable, especially in the case of closed vowels.
1918 D. Jones Outl. Eng. Phonetics 21 When pronouncing the..tense vowel..the throat feels considerably tenser and is somewhat pushed forward.
1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. vii. 109 In German the tense vowels are longer than the loose; this difference of length is more striking than that of tenseness.
1968 W. S. Allen Vox Graeca v. 103 The usually tenser articulation of voiceless plosives might also tend to emphasize the crescendo.
1978 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 1977 22 211 Rêve and âge have inherited, underlying tense vowels.
2. figurative. In a state of nervous or mental strain or tension; strained; highly strung; ‘on the stretch’; excited, or excitable; keenly sensitive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > [adjective]
expectanta1425
prevenient1765
anticipative1797
anticipant1798
contemplative1816
tense1821
prospective1850
at wait1873
the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > tension > [adjective]
tautc1275
rigid?a1425
high-strung1653
wound-up1788
stretched1799
high-toned1804
overstrung1810
intense1817
tense1821
high-tuned1827
screwed-up1829
twittery1840
high-keyed1848
strung-up1853
strained1863
tensioned1872
twitchy1874
keyed-up1885
tensed1911
uptight1934
wired1970
the mind > emotion > excitement > excitability of temperament > [adjective] > nervous or easily agitated
agitable1603
wincing1603
nervous1740
nervo-sanguineous1807
alarmable1813
intense1817
tense1821
finely-strung1841
flutterable1891
nerve-ridden1892
shockable1893
the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [adjective] > nervous > in a state of nervous excitement
high-strung1653
tense1821
jumpy1879
nerve-ridden1892
geeked1989
1821 S. T. Coleridge in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 10 254 These distinctive faculties being in a tense and active state.
1845 T. De Quincey Notes on Gilfillan's 'Gallery Lit. Portraits' in Tait's Edinb. Mag. Nov. 725/1 This collapse of a tense excitement.
1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career ix. 126 Her sensibilities, kept tense through the long winter,..refused to respond.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda II. iii. xxi. 53 Gwendolen..looked at her with tense expectancy, but was silent.
1902 R. Hichens Londoners 161 The house~party were now tense with excitement.
Compounds
tense-drawn, tense-fibred, etc.
ΚΠ
1762 R. Pulteney in Philos. Trans. 1761 (Royal Soc.) 52 353 Robust and tense fibred.
1891 R. Kipling Light that Failed vii. 134 The Americans, whose rasping voices..strain tense-drawn nerves to breaking-point.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 15 May 2/1 The haggard, tense-eyed men, the expensively attired, withered, yet beautiful women.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
tensev.
a. transitive. To make tense; to stretch tight; spec. of vowel sounds (cf. tense adj. 1c). Also reflexive and with up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > constitution of matter > hardness > types of hardness > [verb (transitive)] > make taut
stretcha1387
bracec1440
wrench1577
span1598
tend1646
span1650
screw1657
tauten1777
tensify1869
tense1884
tension1891
the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > vowel > furnish with or produce by vowel [verb (transitive)] > types of
obscurea1637
lower1836
labialize1855
reduce1861
round1869
raise1874
unround1874
delabialize1875
tense1978
1676 [implied in: H. More Remarks 2 Disc. 141 In his supposed tensed and rarefied bodies. (at tensed adj.1)].
1884 Mind Jan. 109 A maximal effort of tensing the extensor instead of the flexor muscles.
1929 P. Gibbs Hidden City 1 Rage causes an increase of adrenal secretion, tensing up the nerve cells.
1942 G. Casey It's Harder for Girls 130 When his turn came he tensed himself to go through with it.
1951 ‘C. S. Forester’ Randall & River of Time (U.K. ed.) xviii. 263 The constable was tensing himself, ready to restrain him if he should do anything violent.
1978 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics 1977 22 211 Historically, /v/ and /ž/, although lengthening preceding vowels, did not automatically tense them.
b. intransitive. To become tense. Also const. up.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > tension > become tense [verb (intransitive)]
tense1946
1946 Sunday Express 31 Mar. 8/2 The court tensed as Ribbentrop gave inside glimpses of events which shaped the war.
1959 Encounter Feb. 31 I was tensing for the death-blow.
1973 Houston Chron. 14 Oct. (Texas Mag.) 2/3 They..feared the kids would tense up if they knew a reporter was in their midst.
1975 I. McEwan First Love, Last Rites 42 There was such a sudden ferocity in her silence that I found myself tensing like a sprinter on the starting line.
Derivatives
ˈtensing n. (also with up).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > excitement > nervous excitement > tension > [noun] > becoming tense
tensing1921
1921 L. R. Freeman In Tracks of Trades 85 There was a sharp tensing of the powerful frame.
1977 Washington Post 23 Nov. b2/3 It is the isometric tensing of muscles opposite ones that have been over-developed.
1983 N.Y. Times 9 Oct. vi. 56/2 More like a tensing-up that begged for relief.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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n.c1315adj.1671v.1676