intension

[ in-ten-shuhn ]

noun
  1. intensification; increase in degree.

  2. intensity; high degree.

  1. relative intensity; degree.

  2. exertion of the mind; determination.

  3. Logic. (of a term) the set of attributes belonging to all and only those things to which the given term is correctly applied; connotation; comprehension.: Compare extension (def. 12).

Origin of intension

1
First recorded in 1595–1605, intension is from the Latin word intēnsiōn- (stem of intēnsiō). See intense, -ion

Other words from intension

  • in·ten·sion·al, adjective
  • in·ten·sion·al·ly, adverb

Words Nearby intension

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How to use intension in a sentence

  • From this arises the distinctive terms known as the content, extension and intension of concepts, respectively.

    Thought-Culture | William Walker Atkinson
  • The technical name for any meaning which is thus individualized is intension.

    How We Think | John Dewey
  • The distinction between connotation and denotation, extension and intension, applies only to general names.

  • It was sayd of olde, that zeale was an intension of love: of late, that it is a compound of love and anger, or indignation.

  • As the intension increases the extension decreases, and vice versa.

    The Classification of Patents | United States Patent Office

British Dictionary definitions for intension

intension

/ (ɪnˈtɛnʃən) /


noun
  1. logic

    • the set of characteristics or properties by which the referent or referents of a given word are determined: thus, the intension of marsupial is the set containing the characteristics suckling its young and having a pouch: Compare extension (def. 11a)

  2. a rare word for intensity, determination

  1. a rare word for intensification: See intensification

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012