intensus

Intensus is a Latin adjective meaning “intense,” “stressed,” or “dense,” and it appears in classical and later Latin texts to describe high degree, severity, or physical density. The term is used across contexts from sensory description to physical and metaphorical intensification.

Etymology and forms: Intensus is formed from the Latin root intens- with the standard 1st/2nd declension suffixes. The typical adjective forms are intensus (masculine), intensa (feminine), and intensum (neuter). In the plural these become intensi (masculine), intensae (feminine), and intensa (neuter). The word is closely related to the English adjectives intense and the noun intensity, all tracing to the same Latin root.

Usage: In Latin literature and scholarly works, intensus functions as a general descriptor of high degree or density. It can modify nouns to convey physical intensity (for example, heat, light, or pressure) as well as figurative intensity, such as emotions or actions. In scientific and historical Latin texts, it often serves to emphasize degree before a noun or within technical descriptions.

Relation to other terms: Intensus shares a common root with related English terms such as intense, intensity, and intensify, which entered English through Latin and Old French derivatives. The word’s usage in English is limited to occasional scholarly citations of Latin phrases, rather than common speech.

See also: intense, intensity, intensify, intensification, Latin grammar.