Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pretension” come from?

pretension (English) comes from English tension, from Middle French tension, from Latin tensiō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere, from Latin dis- — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.

pretension (English): A claim or aspiration to a particular status or...

Definitions

  1. A claim or aspiration to a particular status or...

Ancestry of “pretension”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtensionThe condition of being held in a state between...
2Middle Frenchtension—
3Latintensiō—
4Latin-tiō—
5Latindissertātiō—
6Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
7Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
8Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
9Latincalceusshoe
10Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
11Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “pretension”

  • pretensionless
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →