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DictionaryRoot: tendere
Latin

tendere

stretch, extend; direct toward

Forms

  • tend-
  • tens- — Latin stem of a form meaning ‘stretched.’
  • tent- — Alternative stem of a Latin form meaning ‘stretched.’

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ten-, ‘stretch.’

Note

Physical stretching became a metaphor for directing the mind toward something.

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A translucent rubber balloon attached to a running faucet swells into a taut, water-heavy pear shape, visibly demonstrating expansion from pressure inside.
noun

distention

dis-TEN-shun/dɪˈstɛnʃən/

Swelling or expansion caused by pressure from within.

Etymology
disLatinapart, away; reversal or negation
+tentLatinstretch, extend; direct toward
+ionLatinan action, process, or result

The pieces describe stretching apart or outward. Distention names the resulting swollen state, in which internal pressure stretches something beyond its usual size.

Full entry

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