As an adjective, tense means tight, nervous, or not relaxed in body or mind. As a noun in grammar, a tense is a form of a verb that shows the time of an action, such as past, present, or future.
Adjective: from Latin *tensus*, past participle of *tendere* 'to stretch', referring to something stretched tight. Noun (grammar): from Old French *tens*, from Latin *tempus* 'time', which is also the root of 'tempo' and 'temporary'.
English hides two different words inside 'tense': one about being stretched tight, and another about time in grammar. They sound the same now, but one comes from stretching and the other from timekeeping.
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