Tension

Engineering definition

1. The act or action of stretching or the condition or degree of being stretched to stiffness: tautness.
2. Stress.
3. Either of two balancing forces causing or tending to cause extension.
4. The stress resulting from the elongation of an elastic body.
5. A device to produce a desired tension (as in a loom).

Medical definition

1. Emotional strain or stress that may translate into clenched scalp muscles in the occipital region, producing tension headaches.
2. Inner striving, unrest, or imbalance, often with physiological indication of emotion.

Confusion

In French, the word “tension” means voltage. It is important to be aware of this and other “false friends” as international engineering and medical communities interact. Imprecise translations can cause problems for multilingual teams.