Tensile
/ˈtɛn.saɪl/noun
Capable of being stretched or drawn out without breaking.
Did you know?Its roots go back to Latin *tendere*, “to stretch,” a powerhouse ancestor that also gave English words like *tend*, *tension*, and *tender*—all carrying the eerie idea of reaching, straining, or being held in a state of pull.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch”
Latin
Latin
tendere
“to stretch, extend”
Late Latin
Latin
tensilis
“able to be stretched”
Middle French
French
tensile
“capable of being stretched”
16th Century
English
tensile
“capable of being stretched or extended”