Tensometer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An instrument used to measure the tension or stretching force acting on a material, cable, or fibre
2. A device that gauges how much tensile stress or pull is applied to a specimen during testing
3. A measuring tool that registers the degree of tension or strain in a thread, wire, or structure

Etymology: "Tensometer" is a plain technical compound: "tension" combined with "-meter," the suffix from Greek "metron" meaning "measure," which English uses for instruments that measure a quantity, as in "thermometer" or "barometer." A tensometer, then, is an instrument for measuring tension, the pulling force exerted on a material or structure. The "tension" half comes from Latin "tensio," from "tendere," "to stretch," the same root that gives "tend," "tent," and "extent." So the word sits on a stretching idea at both ends: the Latin verb describes the act of stretching, and the instrument measures how far that stretching has gone under load.

Synonyms: tensiometer, strain gauge