tenson

noun

ten·​son

ˈten(t)sən

variants or less commonly tenso

-nˌsō

or tenzon

-nzən

plural -s

: a lyric poem of dispute composed by Provençal troubadours in which two opponents speak alternate stanzas, lines, or groups of lines usually identical in structure compare débat, partimen

Word History

Etymology

tenson from French, from Middle French tençon, tenson, from Provençal tensoun; tenzon from Italian tenzone, from Provençal tensoun; tenso from Proverbs tensoun, tenso quarrel, contest, tenson, from Latin tension-, tensio tension

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