5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tense  \Tense\,  a.  [L.  tensus,  p.  p.  of  tendere  to  stretch.  See 
  {Tend}  to  move  and  cf  {Toise}.] 
  Stretched  tightly;  strained  to  stiffness;  rigid;  not  lax;  as 
  a  tense  fiber. 
 
  The  temples  were  sunk,  her  forehead  was  tense,  and  a 
  fatal  paleness  was  upon  her  --Goldsmith. 
  --  {Tense"ly},  adv  --  {Tense"ness},  n. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Tense  \Tense\,  n.  [OF.  tens,  properly,  time,  F.  temps  time, 
  tense.  See  {Temporal}  of  time,  and  cf  {Thing}.]  (Gram.) 
  One  of  the  forms  which  a  verb  takes  by  inflection  or  by 
  adding  auxiliary  words  so  as  to  indicate  the  time  of  the 
  action  or  event  signified;  the  modification  which  verbs 
  undergo  for  the  indication  of  time. 
 
  Note:  The  primary  simple  tenses  are  three:  those  which 
  express  time  past,  present,  and  future;  but  these  admit 
  of  modifications,  which  differ  in  different  languages. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  tense 
  adj  1:  in  or  of  a  state  of  physical  or  nervous  tension  [ant:  {relaxed}] 
  2:  (phonetics)  pronounced  with  relatively  tense  tongue  muscles 
  (e.g.,  the  vowel  sound  in  `beat')  [ant:  {lax}] 
  3:  taut  or  rigid;  stretched  tight;  "tense  piano  strings"  [ant: 
  {lax}] 
  n  :  a  grammatical  category  of  verbs  used  to  express  distinctions 
  of  time 
  v  1:  stretch  or  force  to  the  limit;  "strain  the  rope"  [syn:  {strain}] 
  2:  increase  the  tension  on  "tense  a  rope" 
  3:  become  tense  or  tenser;  "He  tensed  up  when  he  saw  his 
  opponent  enter  the  room"  [syn:  {tense  up}]  [ant:  {relax}] 
  4:  make  tense  [syn:  {strain},  {tense  up}]  [ant:  {relax},  {relax}] 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  tense  adj  Of  programs,  very  clever  and  efficient.  A  tense 
  piece  of  code  often  got  that  way  because  it  was  highly  {bum}med,  but 
  sometimes  it  was  just  based  on  a  great  idea.  A  comment  in  a  clever 
  routine  by  Mike  Kazar,  once  a  grad-student  hacker  at  CMU:  "This  routine 
  is  so  tense  it  will  bring  tears  to  your  eyes."  A  tense  programmer  is 
  one  who  produces  tense  code. 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  tense 
 
  Of  programs,  very  clever  and  efficient.  A  tense  piece  of  code 
  often  got  that  way  because  it  was  highly  {bum}med,  but 
  sometimes  it  was  just  based  on  a  great  idea.  A  comment  in  a 
  clever  routine  by  Mike  Kazar,  once  a  grad-student  hacker  at 
  CMU:  "This  routine  is  so  tense  it  will  bring  tears  to  your 
  eyes."  A  tense  programmer  is  one  who  produces  tense  code. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
 

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