'suspense' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'suspensus,' where 'suspendere' meant 'to hang up or keep in uncertainty.'

'suspensus' transformed into the Old French word 'suspens,' and eventually became the modern English word 'suspense' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to hang or keep in uncertainty,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a state of anxious uncertainty.'