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pretension2

[pree-ten-shuh n]
verb (used with object)
  1. (in prestressed-concrete construction) to apply tension to (reinforcing strands) before the concrete is poured.Compare posttension(def 1).
  2. to make (a concrete member) with pretensioned reinforcement.
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Origin of pretension2

First recorded in 1935–40; pre- + tension
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for pretensioned

pretension

noun
  1. (often plural) a false or unsupportable claim, esp to merit, worth, or importance
  2. a specious or unfounded allegation; pretext
  3. the state or quality of being pretentious
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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

Word Origin and History for pretensioned

pretension

n.

mid-15c., "assertion, allegation; objection; intention; signification," from Medieval Latin pretensionem (nominative praetensio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin praetendere "stretch in front, put forward, allege" (see pretend (v.)). Meaning "unproven claim" is from c.1600. Sense of "ostentation" is from 1727.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper