Tension

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɛnʃən/

Definitions

1. A state of mental or emotional strain, or the degree to which something is pulled tight or stretched
2. A condition involving emotional stress or strain alongside the degree of tightness in a physical object or the interaction between opposing forces
3. A feeling of nervousness or strain caused by stress or pressure ; the stress exerted when a material is pulled tight ; a situation marked by conflict or unease between people or groups

Etymology: Latin "tendere" meant "to stretch," and its past participle "tensus" gave rise to "tensio," a noun for the act of stretching or the state of being stretched. That physical sense is still present in the word: a tension is a pulling force in a rope, cable or spring. English borrowed the term through Middle French "tension," and its earliest uses were largely concrete, describing the tightness of a string or the stress within a material. The move from taut rope to taut mind came gradually. Once a person could be "stretched" by strain, the same image applied to emotions and relationships, so the word came to describe a pressure felt inside the nerves rather than in a cord. Today's sense of nervous mental strain is simply that old picture of stretching, applied to the psyche.

Synonyms: strain, stress, pressure, anxiety, nervousness

Antonyms: relaxation, calm, ease, peace, tranquility