intension Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression
    connotation.

WordNet

In*ten"sion noun
Etymology
L. intensio: cf. F. intension. See Intend, and cf. Intention.
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913