distend

Where does the word "distend" come from? It comes from Latin distendere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Distend’s story begins in Latin: distendere meant “to stretch apart.” To stretch apart, from dis- (apart) and tendere (to stretch). It reached English by 1400s as distend. Settled as the English word for swelling out by internal pressure. Today, distend means to swell or bulge out due to pressure from within.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient distendere "to stretch apart", to stretch apart, from dis- (apart) and tendere (to stretch).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s distend "to swell out by pressure from within", settled as the English word for swelling out by internal pressure.