Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Stress

Stress

,
Noun.
[Abbrev. fr.
distress
; or cf. OF.
estrecier
to press, pinch, (assumed) LL.
strictiare
, fr. L.
strictus
. See
Distress
.]
1.
Distress.
[Obs.]
Sad hersal of his heavy
stress
.
Spenser.
2.
Pressure, strain; – used chiefly of immaterial things; except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight; significance.
The faculties of the mind are improved by exercise, yet they must not be put to a
stress
beyond their strength.
Locke.
A body may as well lay too little as too much
stress
upon a dream.
L’Estrange.
3.
(Mech. & Physics)
The force, or combination of forces, which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress.
Rankine.
Stress
is the mutual action between portions of matter.
Clerk Maxwell.
4.
(Pron.)
Force of utterance expended upon words or syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See
Guide to pronunciation
, §§ 31-35.
5.
(Scots Law)
Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
Stress of voice
,
unusual exertion of the voice.
Stress of weather
,
constraint imposed by continued bad weather;
as, to be driven back to port by
stress of weather
.
To lay stress upon
,
to attach great importance to; to emphasize.
“Consider how great a stress is laid upon this duty.”
Atterbury.
To put stress upon
, or
To put to a stress
,
to strain.

Stress

(strĕs)
,
Verb.
T.
1.
To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties.
[R.]
Spenser.
2.
To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.

Webster 1828 Edition


Stress

STRESS

,
Noun.
1.
Force; urgency; pressure; importance; that which bears with most weight; as the stress of a legal question. Consider how much stress is laid on the exercise of charity in the New Testament.
This, on which the great stress of the business depends--
2.
Force or violence; as stress of weather.
3.
Force; violence; strain.
Though the faculties of the mind are improved by exercise, yet they must not be put to a stress beyond their strength.

STRESS

,
Verb.
T.
To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties. [Little used.]

Definition 2024


Stress

Stress

See also: stress and Streß

German

Noun

Stress m (genitive Stresses, plural Stresse)

  1. stress (emotional pressure)

stress

stress

See also: Stress and Streß

English

Noun

stress (countable and uncountable, plural stresses)

  1. (biology) A physical, chemical, infective agent aggressing an organism.
  2. (biology) Aggression toward an organism resulting in a response in an attempt to restore previous conditions.
  3. (countable, physics) The internal distribution of force per unit area (pressure) within a body reacting to applied forces which causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by σ.
  4. (countable, physics) Force externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.
  5. (uncountable) Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.
    Go easy on him, he's been under a lot of stress lately.
  6. (uncountable, phonetics) The emphasis placed on a syllable of a word.
    Some people put the stress on the first syllable of “controversy”; others put it on the second.
  7. (uncountable) Emphasis placed on words in speaking.
  8. (uncountable) Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).
  9. Obsolete form of distress.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)
  10. (Scotland, law) distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • stress deafness

Translations

Verb

stress (third-person singular simple present stresses, present participle stressing, simple past and past participle stressed)

  1. To apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.
  2. To apply emotional pressure to (a person or animal).
  3. (informal) To suffer stress; to worry or be agitated.
  4. To emphasise (a syllable of a word).
    “Emphasis” is stressed on the first syllable, but “emphatic” is stressed on the second.
  5. To emphasise (words in speaking).
  6. To emphasise (a point) in an argument or discussion.
    I must stress that this information is given in strict confidence.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  1. Keil, R.M.K. (2004) Coping and stress: a conceptual analysis Journal of Advanced Nursing, 45(6), 659–665

Related terms


Danish

Etymology

From English stress.

Noun

stress c, n (singular definite stressen or stresset, not used in plural)

  1. stress

Derived terms


Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛs

Noun

stress m (uncountable)

  1. stress

French

Etymology

From English stress

Noun

stress m (uncountable)

  1. stress (emotional pressure)

Derived terms


Icelandic

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /strɛsː/
  • Rhymes: -ɛsː

Noun

stress n (genitive singular stress, no plural)

  1. stress

Declension

Related terms


Italian

Etymology

Borrowing from English

Noun

stress m (invariable)

  1. stress

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

stress

  1. imperative of stresse

Portuguese

Noun

stress m (uncountable)

  1. Alternative form of estresse

Spanish

Noun

stress m (plural stresses)

  1. stress

Swedish

Noun

stress c

  1. stress

Declension