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distendere

to stretch out

verb dee-STEN-deh-reh Rare
Body & Health Movement

Origin: From Latin distendere (to spread out, to stretch).

Also means

to relax (to unwind)

Usage Note

Distendere is an irregular verb of the -endere group; past participle: disteso. Distendere le braccia means to stretch out one's arms; distendere un lenzuolo means to spread out a sheet. The reflexive distendersi is common in the sense of relaxing or lying down: ho bisogno di distendermi un po' (I need to unwind a bit). Cognate with English 'distend' but usually without the negative connotation of swelling.

Examples

"Si è disteso sul divano dopo cena."

Natural Translation

He stretched out on the sofa after dinner.

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