pre-tensioning
|pre-ten-sion-ing|
/prɪˈtɛnʃənɪŋ/
(pretension)
claim or affectation
Etymology
'pre-tensioning' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'prae' (from which modern 'pre-') and the Latin root 'tensio' (from 'tendere'), where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'tendere' meant 'to stretch'.
'pre-tensioning' developed in modern English as a compound of the prefix 'pre-' + the noun 'tension' (itself from Latin 'tensio'); the technical form 'pre-tension' / 'pretension' and its gerund '-ing' usage arose in engineering usage in the 19th–20th centuries to describe prestressing methods.
Initially, elements of the root referred broadly to 'stretching' or, in unrelated senses of 'pretension', to 'a claim'; over time the compound gained a specialized technical meaning: 'applying tension beforehand' in structural engineering.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
in structural engineering, the process of applying tension to steel tendons (wires or strands) before concrete is cast so that the concrete is prestressed when the tension is released; a method used in precast prestressed concrete.
Pre-tensioning is commonly used in precast concrete beams to improve load capacity and control cracking.
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Verb 1
present participle form of 'pretension': to apply pretension (to stretch or tension a member in advance of a subsequent operation).
They are pre-tensioning the cables before pouring the concrete.
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Last updated: 2025/09/25 10:12