tensile

[ ten-suhl, -sil or, especially British, -sahyl ]

/ ˈtɛn səl, -sɪl or, especially British, -saɪl /

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See synonyms for: tensile / tensility on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to tension: tensile strain.

capable of being stretched or drawn out; ductile.

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Origin of tensile

From the New Latin word tēnsilis, dating back to 1620–30. See tense¹, -ile

OTHER WORDS FROM tensile

ten·sil·i·ty

[ten-sil-i-tee], /tɛnˈsɪl ɪ ti/, ten·sile·ness, nounten·sile·ly, adverbnon·ten·sile, adjectivenon·ten·sil·i·ty, noun

un·ten·sile, adjective

Words nearby tensile

Tensas, tense, tensegrity, tense logic, tensible, tensile, tensile strength, tensile stress, tensimeter, tensiometer, tension

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tensile in a sentence

Others worried about the tensile strength of all that glass.
The metaverse is a new word for an old idea|Genevieve Bell|February 8, 2022|MIT Technology Review
A high-tensile copper clasp and heavy-duty buckle keep the dog secure.
Best dog leashes of 2022|Stacey L. Nash|December 10, 2021|Popular-Science
It knocks the wind out of you even before it makes you think—though it does makes you think, too, especially about the tensile fierceness of refusing victimhood.
Promising Young Woman Starts with a Cathartic Blast. Then It Gets Bogged Down With Cynicism|Stephanie Zacharek|January 15, 2021|Time
Its average length is about twenty inches, and its tensile strength is superior to that of cotton.
Textiles|William H. Dooley

It lacks the tensile strength and elasticity, and is of higher specific gravity than true silk.
Textiles|William H. Dooley
What is very high tensile strength in boiler iron apt to go with?
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. Stephenson
In the first place, it gives the steel a greater tensile strength.
United States Steel|Arundel Cotter
Nickel is about ten per cent heavier than steel, and has a tensile strength of 90,000 pounds per square inch.
Oxy-Acetylene Welding and Cutting|Harold P. Manly

British Dictionary definitions for tensile

tensile

/ (ˈtɛnsaɪl) /

adjective

of or relating to tension

sufficiently ductile to be stretched or drawn out

Derived forms of tensile

tensilely, adverbtensility (tɛnˈsɪlɪtɪ) or tensileness, noun

Word Origin for tensile

C17: from New Latin tensilis, from Latin tendere to stretch

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

tensile

Origin of tensile

OTHER WORDS FROM tensile

Words nearby tensile

Words related to tensile

How to use tensile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tensile

Derived forms of tensile

Word Origin for tensile