Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - tension

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin ~-, tensio, from tendere  Date: 1533  1.  a. the act or action of stretching or the condition or degree of being stretched to stiffness ; tautness  b. stress 1b  2.  a. either of two balancing forces causing or tending to cause ex~  b. the stress resulting from the elongation of an elastic body  3.  a. inner striving, unrest, or imbalance often with physiological indication of emotion  b. a state of latent hostility or opposition between individuals or groups  c. a balance maintained in an artistic work between opposing forces or elements  4. a device to produce a desired ~ (as in a loom)  • ~al adjective  • ~less adjective  II. transitive verb  (~ed; ~ing)  Date: 1891 to subject to ~; especially to tighten to a desired or appropriate degree  • ~er noun