tensor

[ ten-ser, -sawr ]

/ ˈtɛn sər, -sɔr /

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noun

Anatomy. a muscle that stretches or tightens some part of the body.

Mathematics. a mathematical entity with components that change in a particular way in a transformation from one coordinate system to another.

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Origin of tensor

1695–1705; <New Latin: stretcher, equivalent to Latin tend(ere) to stretch (see tend¹) + -tor-tor, with dt>s

OTHER WORDS FROM tensor

ten·so·ri·al

[ten-sawr-ee-uhl, -sohr-], /tɛnˈsɔr i əl, -ˈsoʊr-/, adjective

Words nearby tensor

tension headache, tension suture, tensity, tensive, tenson, tensor, tensor analysis, Tensor bandage, tensor muscle of broad fascia, tensor muscle of soft palate, tensor muscle of tympanic membrane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use tensor in a sentence

Matrix multiplication and this problem involving tensors are equivalent to each other in a sense, yet researchers already had faster procedures for solving the latter one.
Matrix Multiplication Inches Closer to Mythic Goal|Kevin Hartnett|March 23, 2021|Quanta Magazine
In their new proof, Alman and Vassilevska Williams reduce the friction between the two problems and show that it’s possible to “buy” more matrix multiplication than previously realized for solving a tensor problem of a given size.
Matrix Multiplication Inches Closer to Mythic Goal|Kevin Hartnett|March 23, 2021|Quanta Magazine
The particular tensors used in this problem are three-dimensional arrays of numbers composed of many different parts, each of which looks like a small matrix multiplication problem.
Matrix Multiplication Inches Closer to Mythic Goal|Kevin Hartnett|March 23, 2021|Quanta Magazine
But for practical effect, you'd be better off trying to explain the fundamentals of tensor calculus.
Why Not Make Social Security Benefits Even More Generous|Megan McArdle|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST

At least they won't get angry and accuse you of heartlessly trying to kill them in order to save a few dollars on tensor fields.
Why Not Make Social Security Benefits Even More Generous|Megan McArdle|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Three men sat around a table which was littered with graphs, sketches of mathematical functions, and books of tensor formulae.
Islands of Space|John W Campbell
The chief physiological antagonistics of the glutei are the quadriceps femoris and tensor fascia lata.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
In the case of the malleus there may be some resistance owing to the attachment of the tendon of the tensor tympani muscle.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Hence his apt qualification of the drug, "a tensor par excellence of the vocal cords."
Coca and its Therapeutic Application, Third Edition|Angelo Mariani
Fauvel who gave our wine the very striking and exact title of "Tensor of the vocal cords."
Coca and its Therapeutic Application, Third Edition|Angelo Mariani

British Dictionary definitions for tensor

tensor

/ (ˈtɛnsə, -sɔː) /

noun

anatomy any muscle that can cause a part to become firm or tense

maths a set of components, functions of the coordinates of any point in space, that transform linearly between coordinate systems. For three-dimensional space there are 3 r components, where r is the rank. A tensor of zero rank is a scalar, of rank one, a vector

Derived forms of tensor

tensorial (tɛnˈsɔːrɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for tensor

C18: from New Latin, literally: a stretcher

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

Medical definitions for tensor

tensor

[ tĕn′sər, -sôr′ ]

A muscle that stretches or tightens a body part.

Scientific definitions for tensor

tensor

[ tĕn′sər, -sôr′ ]

A structure of quantities arranged by zero or more indices, such as a scalar (zero indices), a vector (one index), or a matrix (two indices), which is invariant under transformations of coordinates.

Any of various muscles that stretch or tighten a body part, as the muscle that acts to tense the soft palate, called the tensor palati.