Webster's English Dictionary

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tension

1. ten.sion \'ten-ch*n\ \'tench-n*l, -*n-*l\ n [MF or L; MF, fr. L 
   tension-, tensio, fr. tensus, pp.] often attrib  1a: the act or action of 
   stretching or the condition or degree of being str etched to stiffness : 
   TAUTNESS 1b: STRESS  2a: either of two balancing forces causing or tending 
   to cause extension  2b: the stress resulting from the elongation of an 
   elastic body  archaic  2c: PRESSURE  3a: a state of psychic unrest often 
   with signs of physiological stress  3b: a state of latent hostility or 
   opposition between individuals or groups  3c: a balance maintained in an 
   artistic work between opposing forces or ele ments 4: POTENTIAL  5: a 
   device to produce a desired tension (as in a loom)  - ten.sion.al aj
2. tension \'tench-(*-)nin\ vt or ten.sion.ing : to subject to tension