pretension
verbEtymology From pre- + tension.
1
To apply tension to an object before some other event or process.
2
Business, Construction, Manufacturing To apply tension to reinforcing strands before concrete is poured in.
pretension
nounEtymology From Middle English pretencioun, pretensioun, from Medieval Latin prētēnsiō.
1
A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality.
- As a foreign stamp gazette it is nowhere. An article on Stamp Collecting, by J. E. Gray, “reprinted from one of his books,” and a catalogue of stamps constitute its sole attraction. We are surprised to find such sounding pretentions so poorly supported.1872, “Reviews of Postal Publications”, in The Stamp-Collector's Magazine, volume 10, page 110:
2
Pretentiousness.
- Derived terms
- pretensional, pretensionless
- Related terms
- pretense, pretentious