*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tense

From Middle English tens, from Old French tens (modern French temps), from Latin tempus. Doublet of tempo and tempus.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. · An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense. · A grammatical aspect. · A verb form or construction indicating a combination of tense, aspect, and mood.

verb

To apply a tense to.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English tens, from Old French tens (modern French temps), from Latin tempus. Doublet of tempo and tempus.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*tend-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentiontensenm
  • Derivation mentiontensfro
  • Cognate mentiontempsfr
  • Derivation mentiontempusla
  • Doublet mentiontempoen
  • Doublet mentiontempusen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*tend-",
        "id": "stretch"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tens"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tens"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "tens"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French tens"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "temps"
      },
      "expansion": "French temps"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tempus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tempus"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tempo",
        "3": "tempus"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of tempo and tempus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tens",
      "tens#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tens",
      "tens#Old_French"
    ],
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      "temps",
      "temps#French"
    ],
    [
      "tempus",
      "tempus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "tempo",
      "tempo#English"
    ],
    [
      "tempus",
      "tempus#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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        "The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.",
        "An inflected form of a verb that indicates tense.",
        "A grammatical aspect.",
        "A verb form or construction indicating a combination of tense, aspect, and mood."
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To apply a tense to."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
adj

Showing signs of stress or strain; not relaxed. · Characterized by strain (on the nerves, emotions, etc). (Compare charged.) · Pulled taut, without any slack. · Produced with relative constriction of the vocal tract.

verb

To make tense. · To become tense.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Latin tēnsus, one form of the past participle of tendō (“stretch”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Root classification mention*tend-ine-pro
  • Borrowed-form mentiontēnsusla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
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        "2": "la",
        "3": "tēnsus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tēnsus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "tēnsus",
      "tensus#Latin"
    ],
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    ]
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  "descendants": [],
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        "Produced with relative constriction of the vocal tract."
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        "To become tense."
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tense →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dGVuc2U