Tenson

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Archaic term for a quarrel or bitter dispute between people ; a poem in which two poets argue opposing positions in verse
2. An old word for strife, rivalry or open contention ; a medieval verse form in which two troubadours debate a question in alternating stanzas
3. Obsolete noun meaning conflict or wrangling between parties ; a poetic exchange in Provençal verse where poets contend over a subject

Etymology: In the Occitan poetry of medieval southern France, a "tenso" was a debate poem in which two troubadours traded verses arguing a question, often about love, and the word simply meant a dispute. The English noun comes from that Occitan term and was first used for the genre itself, the sung contest between poets, before it took on the wider sense of a quarrel. The quarrel sense developed from the idea of a sharp exchange of opposing views. The word is probably related to the Latin "tendere," "to stretch," which also gave English "tension," though the exact connection is uncertain. Its use for a bitter public dispute is a figurative extension of the older literary meaning.