tendu
French, adjective\tɑ̃.dy\
tendu is spelled T-E-N-D-U (5 letters) and appears 11 times per million words in written French, the 6,181st most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Tendu is a French adjective meaning “tight; taut” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a past participle of tendre. The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Qui subit une tension (arc, élastique, ressort, etc.)”.
What does tendu mean in English?
adjective
- 1
tight; taut
- 2
tense, on edge
verb
- 1
past participle of tendre
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. Qui subit une tension (arc, élastique, ressort, etc.). 2. Qui exerce un effort en parlant des muscles, du corps. 3. Arrondi, enflé, œdémateux, turgescent. 4. Qui subit une tension intellectuelle, concentré, attentif, intense, en parlant de l’esprit, d’une personnalité, etc.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of tendu
- tendue feminine
- tendus masculine plural
- tendues feminine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce tendu?
- \tɑ̃.dy\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to tendu
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is tendu in French?
tendu appears 11 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).