tent

Where does the word "tent" come from? It comes from Latin tendere, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Tent’s story begins in Latin: tendere meant “to stretch.” The root of 'tend', 'extend' and 'tension'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as tente. Carried into French for a portable shelter of stretched fabric. It reached English by 1200s as tent. Settled as the English word for a portable fabric shelter. Today, tent means a portable shelter made of fabric stretched over a supporting frame.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient tendere "to stretch", the root of 'tend', 'extend' and 'tension'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval tente "a portable shelter of stretched fabric", carried into French for a portable shelter of stretched fabric.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s tent "a portable shelter made of fabric stretched over a frame", settled as the English word for a portable fabric shelter.