A Topical Dictionary: Search for tension

Dictionary Results For "tension" [?]/[OPML]

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GNU Project's publication of CIDE, the Collaborative International Dictionary of English Tension \Ten"sion\, n. [L. tensio, from tendere, tensum, to
stretch: cf. F. tension. See Tense, a.]
1. The act of stretching or straining; the state of being
stretched or strained to stiffness; the state of being
bent strained; as, the tension of the muscles, tension of
the larynx.
[1913 Webster]

2. Fig.: Extreme strain of mind or excitement of feeling;
intense effort.
[1913 Webster]

3. The degree of stretching to which a wire, cord, piece of
timber, or the like, is strained by drawing it in the
direction of its length; strain. --Gwilt.
[1913 Webster]

4. (Mech.) The force by which a part is pulled when forming
part of any system in equilibrium or in motion; as, the
tension of a srting supporting a weight equals that
weight.
[1913 Webster]

5. A device for checking the delivery of the thread in a
sewing machine, so as to give the stitch the required
degree of tightness.
[1913 Webster]

6. (Physics) Expansive force; the force with which the
particles of a body, as a gas, tend to recede from each
other and occupy a larger space; elastic force;
elasticity; as, the tension of vapor; the tension of air.
[1913 Webster]

7. (Elec.) The quality in consequence of which an electric
charge tends to discharge itself, as into the air by a
spark, or to pass from a body of greater to one of less
electrical potential. It varies as the quantity of
electricity upon a given area.
[1913 Webster]

Tension brace, or Tension member (Engin.), a brace or
member designed to resist tension, or subjected to
tension, in a structure.

Tension rod (Engin.), an iron rod used as a tension member
to strengthen timber or metal framework, roofs, or the
like.
[1913 Webster]

WordNet tension
n 1: feelings of hostility that are not manifest; "he could sense
her latent hostility to him"; "the diplomats' first
concern was to reduce international tensions" [syn: {latent
hostility}]
2: (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or
suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional
tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor" [syn: tenseness,
stress]
3: the physical condition of being stretched or strained; "it
places great tension on the leg muscles"; "he could feel
the tenseness of her body" [syn: tensity, tenseness, tautness]
4: a balance between and interplay of opposing elements or
tendencies (especially in art or literature); "there is a
tension created between narrative time and movie time";
"there is a tension between these approaches to
understanding history"
5: (physics) a stress that produces an elongation of an elastic
physical body; "the direction of maximum tension moves
asymptotically toward the direction of the shear"
6: the action of stretching something tight; "tension holds the
belt in the pulleys"

Moby Dictionary
Discordia , Eris , agitation , all-overs , angst , anxiety ,
anxiety hysteria , anxiety neurosis , anxious bench , anxious concern ,
anxious seat , anxiousness , apprehension , apprehensiveness , bloat ,
bloating , breaking point , cankerworm of care , care , chill ,
chilliness , clash , clashing , clutch , coldness , concern ,
concernment , conflict , contention , coolness , crisis , crunch ,
disaccord , disaffinity , discomfort , discord , discordance ,
discordancy , disharmony , disquiet , disquietude , distension ,
distress , disturbance , dread , edginess , elongation , emergency ,
enmity , exigency , extension , extreme tension , fear , fidgetiness ,
firmness , force , foreboding , forebodingness , friction , frost , haul ,
heave , high pressure , iciness , imperativeness , incompatibility ,
incompatibleness , inflation , inharmoniousness , inharmony ,
inhospitality , inimicality , inquietude , jangle , jar , jitteriness ,
jumpiness , lengthening , malaise , mental strain , mischief ,
misgiving , nerves , nervous strain , nervous tension , nervousness ,
noncooperation , open conflict , overanxiety , overdistension ,
overdrawing , overexertion , overexpansion , overextension ,
overstrain , overstraining , overstress , overstretching , overtaxing ,
personal conflict , perturbation , pinch , pins and needles , press ,
pressure , production , prolongation , protraction , pucker , pull ,
rack , renitence , renitency , rigidity , rigidness , rigor , rub ,
snapping point , solicitude , starchiness , stew , stiffness , strain ,
strained relations , straining , stress , stress and strain ,
stressfulness , stretch , stretching , stringing out , suspense ,
swelling , tautness , taxing , tenseness , tensity , tightness ,
traction , trouble , tug , unamiability , uncordiality , unease ,
uneasiness , unfriendliness , ungeniality , unharmoniousness ,
unpleasantness , unquietness , unsociability , upset , urgency ,
vexation , worry , zeal