pretension

Etymology

From Middle English pretencioun, pretensioun, from Medieval Latin prētēnsiō.

pretension means A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 75 out of 100.

Why “pretension” is a great word

PRETENSION — [Noun] A claim to a particular status or quality, often unjustified and accompanied by an affected, ostentatious manner. From Middle English pretencioun, from Medieval Latin praetēnsiōn- (stem of praetēnsiō), meaning 'a laying claim to', from Latin praetendere ("to stretch forth, allege, pretend"). Unlike ambition, which strives toward a goal, or modesty, which steps back from claim, pretension is the strained performance of an unearned self. It is the unread leather-bound book, the mangled foreign phrase, the curated austerity that whispers of its cost—a theater staged to ward off the dread of an empty house.

noun

A claim or aspiration to a particular status or quality.“As a foreign stamp gazette it is nowhere. An article on Stamp Collecting, by J. E. Gray, “reprinted from one of his books,” and a catalogue of stamps constitute its sole attraction. We are surprised to find such sounding pretentions so poorly supported.”
Pretentiousness.

verb

To apply tension to an object before some other event or process.
To apply tension to reinforcing strands before concrete is poured in.