Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “tension” come from?

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

Ancestry of “tension”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintensiō—
2Latin-tiō—
3Latindissertātiō—
4Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
5Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
6Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
7Latincalceusshoe
8Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
9Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “tension”

  • tension
  • hypertension
  • hypotension
  • tensional
  • prehypertension
  • tensioner
  • normotension
  • tensionless
  • antihypertension
  • pseudohypertension
  • tensometer
  • tensionally
  • antihypotension
  • thermotension
  • antitension
  • tensioactif
  • tension
  • bitension
  • tensiomètre
  • surtension
  • hypertension
  • テンション
  • टेन्शन
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →