Tendency
/ˈtɛn.dən.si/noun
A natural or habitual inclination toward a particular action, result, or direction.
Did you know?Tendency entered English through French from Latin tendere, a root that also lies behind words like extend, tense, and tendon—basically, the language of stretching, straining, and being pulled toward something.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch, pull, extend”
Latin
Latin
tendere
“to stretch, strain, direct oneself”
Late Latin
Latin
tendentia
“a stretching or leaning toward”
Middle French
Old French
tendance
“a leaning, inclination”
16th Century
English
tendency
“a leaning or inclination toward something”
Modern English
English
tendency
“a natural or habitual inclination toward a particular action, result, or direction”