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

How to use tensor in a sentence

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

Scientific definitions for tensor

tensor
[ tĕnsər, -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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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