Tension is a state of being tight or stretched, like a pulled rope or tight muscles. It can also mean mental stress or emotional strain between people or inside yourself.
From Latin *tensio* 'a stretching', from *tendere* 'to stretch'. The physical idea of pulling something tight was extended to emotional and social pressure.
In stories, tension is like pulling back a bowstring—the more you stretch it, the more powerful the release. Physical tension and emotional tension feel so similar because your body literally tightens under stress.
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