tensor

American  

[ten-ser, -sawr] / ˈtɛn sər, -sɔr /

noun

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

2. 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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tensor British  

/ tɛnˈsɔːrɪəl, -sɔː, ˈtɛnsə /

noun

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

2. 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

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tensor Scientific  

/ tĕn′sər,-sôr′ /

1. 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.

2. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• tensorial adjective

Etymology

Origin of tensor

1695–1705; < New Latin: stretcher, equivalent to Latin tend ( ere ) to stretch ( tend ¹ ) + -tor -tor, with dt > s

Example Sentences

The companies will work together on the development of Google’s tensor processing units through 2031, and Broadcom will supply networking and other components for Google AI racks over that multiyear span.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Benefiting from its main competitor’s limited production capacity, the Taiwanese company is expected to capture over 70% market share in next-generation tensor processing unit platforms, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

“I do think Google’s self-sufficiency should command a premium relative to the others that could be adversely impacted by one cog in the wheel,” Treacy said, referring to Google’s proprietary tensor processing units.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

From this revised framework, he introduces a "correction tensor" -- a mathematical tool that accounts for drag and resistance acting on particles of any shape, including spheres and thin discs.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

He was sitting on his bed, wrapping his damaged leg in a tensor bandage.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline