étirée

Étirée is the feminine form of the past participle étiré, and also an adjective meaning stretched or elongated. It describes objects that have been stretched under tension (for example a rope, fabric, or a muscle after a workout) or more figuratively something extended in time or space. In French grammar, étiré is a regular -er participle; étirée agrees in gender and number with the noun. When used in compound tenses with avoir, the past participle agrees with a preceding direct object; with être, it agrees with the subject (e.g., La corde est étirée; Le tissu a été étiré).

S’étirer is the reflexive form meaning to stretch oneself.

Etymology: étirer derives from tirer (to pull); the development of the form étirer reflects the extension sense in French.

Usage: The term appears in physics or engineering to describe elongation under tension, in textiles to describe stretched fibers, and in anatomy or sports to describe muscles that have been stretched. The feminine étirée will modify feminine nouns; masculine form is étiré, plural étirés, étirées.

See also: étirer, s’étirer, étirement, étirage.