2 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

intension

noun: what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression [syn: {connotation}]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Intension \In*ten"sion\, noun [L. intensio: cf. F. intension. See {Intend}, and cf. {Intention}.]

1. A straining, stretching, or bending; the state of being strained; as, the intension of a musical string.

2. Increase of power or energy of any quality or thing; intenseness; fervency. --Jer. Taylor.

Sounds . . . likewise do rise and fall with the intension or remission of the wind. --Bacon.

3. (Logic & Metaph.) The collective attributes, qualities, or marks that make up a complex general notion; the comprehension, content, or connotation; -- opposed to {extension}, {extent}, or {sphere}.

This law is, that the intension of our knowledge is in the inverse ratio of its extension. --Sir W. Hamilton.
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