- stress
- stress [stres]n.[ME stresse < OFr estresse < VL * strictia < L strictus,STRICT; also, in some senses, aphetic < DISTRESS]1. strain or straining force; specif.,a) force exerted upon a body, that tends to strain or deform its shapeb) the intensity of such force, usually measured in pounds per square inchc) the opposing reaction or cohesiveness of a body resisting such force2. emphasis; importance; significance3.a) mental or emotional tension or strain characterized by feelings of anxiety, fear, etc.b) a factor or combination of factors that causes such tension or strain, as an urgent need or perceived threatc) Psychol. a condition typically characterized by symptoms of mental and physical tension or strain, as depression or hypertension, that can result from a reaction to a situation in which a person feels threatened, pressured, etc.4. Music ACCENT (senses 13 & 14)5. Phonet.a) the relative force or loudness with which a syllable is utteredb) an accented syllable: for stress marks, see PRIMARY STRESS, SECONDARY STRESS6. Prosodya) the relative force of utterance given a syllable or word according to the meterb) an accented syllablevt.[OFr estrecer < VL * strictiare]1.a) to put stress, pressure, or strain onb) Informal to subject to mental or emotional stress2. to give stress or accent to3. to emphasizestressfuladj.stressfullyadv.
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.