pretension
noun
- claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality
Wiktionary
noun
Etymology: From Middle English pretencioun, pretensioun, from Medieval Latin prētēnsiō.
- 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.”
- Pretentiousness.
verb
Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- Proto-Indo-European *ten- Proto-Indo-European *tend-der. Proto-Italic *tendō Latin tendō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin tēnsiōder. Middle French tensionbor. English tension English pretension From pre- + tension.
- To apply tension to an object before some other event or process.
- To apply tension to reinforcing strands before concrete is poured in.