Adjacent Words

Stress definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STRESS, n.
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, v.t. To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties. [Little used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch); "he put the stress on the wrong syllable" [syn: stress, emphasis, accent]
2: (psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor" [syn: tension, tenseness, stress]
3: special emphasis attached to something; "the stress was more on accuracy than on speed" [syn: stress, focus]
4: difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson [syn: stress, strain]
5: (physics) force that produces strain on a physical body; "the intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area" v
1: to stress, single out as important; "Dr. Jones emphasizes exercise in addition to a change in diet" [syn: stress, emphasize, emphasise, punctuate, accent, accentuate]
2: put stress on; utter with an accent; "In Farsi, you accent the last syllable of each word" [syn: stress, accent, accentuate]
3: test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!" [syn: try, strain, stress]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English stresse stress, distress, short for destresse — more at distress Date: 14th century 1. constraining force or influence: as a. a force exerted when one body or body part presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to compress or twist another body or body part; especially the intensity of this mutual force commonly expressed in pounds per square inch b. the deformation caused in a body by such a force c. a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation d. a state resulting from a stress; especially one of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium <job-related stress> e. strain, pressure <the environment is under stress to the point of collapse — Joseph Shoben> 2. emphasis, weight <lay stress on a point> 3. archaic intense effort or exertion 4. intensity of utterance given to a speech sound, syllable, or word producing relative loudness 5. a. relative force or prominence of sound in verse b. a syllable having relative force or prominence 6. accent 6a II. verb Date: 1545 transitive verb 1. to subject to physical or psychological stress <stressing the equipment> <this traffic is stressing me out> 2. to subject to phonetic stress ; accent 3. to lay stress on ; emphasize <stressed the importance of teamwork> intransitive verb to feel stress <stressing about the big exam> — often used with out

Britannica Concise

In phonetics, an emphasis given to a syllable of speech by making it louder than the rest of the word. This emphasis may have no meaning; for example, Czech words are regularly stressed on the first syllable. It may, however, distinguish the meanings of similarly spelled but differently pronounced words; for example, permit is stressed on the first syllable as a noun and on the second as a verb. It may also be applied to a word to express its importance in a sentence. See also intonation. In the physical sciences and engineering, the force per unit area within materials that arises from externally applied forces, uneven heating, or permanent deformation. Normal stress refers to the stress caused by forces that are perpendicular to a cross-section area of the material. Shear stress arises from forces that are parallel to the plane of the cross section. Stress is expressed as the quotient of a force divided by an area. In psychology, a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium. Stress is an unavoidable effect of living and is an especially complex phenomenon in modern technological society. It has been linked to coronary heart disease, psychosomatic disorders, and various other mental and physical problems. Treatment usually consists of a combination of counseling or psychotherapy and medication. In phonetics, an emphasis given to a syllable of speech by making it louder than the rest of the word. This emphasis may have no meaning; for example, Czech words are regularly stressed on the first syllable. It may, however, distinguish the meanings of similarly spelled but differently pronounced words; for example, permit is stressed on the first syllable as a noun and on the second as a verb. It may also be applied to a word to express its importance in a sentence. See also intonation. In the physical sciences and engineering, the force per unit area within materials that arises from externally applied forces, uneven heating, or permanent deformation. Normal stress refers to the stress caused by forces that are perpendicular to a cross-section area of the material. Shear stress arises from forces that are parallel to the plane of the cross section. Stress is expressed as the quotient of a force divided by an area. In psychology, a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium. Stress is an unavoidable effect of living and is an especially complex phenomenon in modern technological society. It has been linked to coronary heart disease, psychosomatic disorders, and various other mental and physical problems. Treatment usually consists of a combination of counseling or psychotherapy and medication. In phonetics, an emphasis given to a syllable of speech by making it louder than the rest of the word. This emphasis may have no meaning; for example, Czech words are regularly stressed on the first syllable. It may, however, distinguish the meanings of similarly spelled but differently pronounced words; for example, permit is stressed on the first syllable as a noun and on the second as a verb. It may also be applied to a word to express its importance in a sentence. See also intonation. In the physical sciences and engineering, the force per unit area within materials that arises from externally applied forces, uneven heating, or permanent deformation. Normal stress refers to the stress caused by forces that are perpendicular to a cross-section area of the material. Shear stress arises from forces that are parallel to the plane of the cross section. Stress is expressed as the quotient of a force divided by an area. In psychology, a state of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium. Stress is an unavoidable effect of living and is an especially complex phenomenon in modern technological society. It has been linked to coronary heart disease, psychosomatic disorders, and various other mental and physical problems. Treatment usually consists of a combination of counseling or psychotherapy and medication.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a pressure or tension exerted on a material object. b a quantity measuring this. 2 a demand on physical or mental energy. b distress caused by this (suffering from stress). 3 a emphasis (the stress was on the need for success). b accentuation; emphasis laid on a syllable or word. c an accent, esp. the principal one in a word (the stress is on the first syllable). 4 Mech. force per unit area exerted between contiguous bodies or parts of a body. --v.tr. 1 lay stress on; emphasize. 2 subject to mechanical or physical or mental stress. Phrases and idioms: lay stress on indicate as important. stress disease a disease resulting from continuous mental stress. Derivatives: stressless adj. Etymology: ME f. DISTRESS, or partly f. OF estresse narrowness, oppression, ult. f. L strictus STRICT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Lateral Lat"er*al, a. [L. lateralis, fr. latus, lateris, side: cf. F. lat['e]ral.] 1. Of or pertaining to the sides; as, the lateral walls of a house; the lateral branches of a tree. 2. (Anat.) Lying at, or extending toward, the side; away from the mesial plane; external; -- opposed to mesial. 3. Directed to the side; as, a lateral view of a thing. Lateral cleavage (Crystallog.), cleavage parallel to the lateral planes. Lateral equation (Math.), an equation of the first degree. [Obs.] Lateral line (Anat.), in fishes, a line of sensory organs along either side of the body, often marked by a distinct line of color. Lateral pressure or stress (Mech.), a pressure or stress at right angles to the length, as of a beam or bridge; -- distinguished from longitudinal pressure or stress. Lateral strength (Mech.), strength which resists a tendency to fracture arising from lateral pressure. Lateral system (Bridge Building), the system of horizontal braces (as between two vertical trusses) by which lateral stiffness is secured.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stress Stress, v. t. 1. To subject to phonetic stress; to accent. 2. To place emphasis on; to make emphatic; emphasize.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stress Stress, n. [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, [sect][sect] 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stress Stress, v. t. 1. To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties. [R.] --Spenser. 2. To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stresses, stressing, stressed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. If you stress a point in a discussion, you put extra emphasis on it because you think it is important. The spokesman stressed that the measures did not amount to an overall ban... They also stress the need for improved employment opportunities, better transport and health care... 'We're not saying we're outside and above all this,' he stresses. = emphasize VERB: V that, V n, V with quote • Stress is also a noun. Japanese car makers are laying ever more stress on European sales. = emphasis N-VAR: N on n 2. If you feel under stress, you feel worried and tense because of difficulties in your life. Katy could think clearly when not under stress... ...a wide range of stress-related problems. N-VAR: oft under N 3. Stresses are strong physical pressures applied to an object. Earthquakes happen when stresses in rock are suddenly released as the rocks fracture. N-VAR 4. If you stress a word or part of a word when you say it, you put emphasis on it so that it sounds slightly louder. 'Sit down,' she replied, stressing each word. VERB: V n • Stress is also a noun. ...the misplaced stress on the first syllable of this last word. N-VAR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Force, strain. 2. Violence, inclemency, boisterousness, severity. 3. Pressure, urgency. 4. Importance, significance, weight, force. 5. Emphasis, accent.

Moby Thesaurus

Alexandrine, accent, accentuate, accentuation, ache, aching, adverse circumstances, adversity, affliction, aggravation, ambivalence, ambivalence of impulse, amphibrach, amphimacer, anacrusis, anapest, anguish, annoyance, antispast, anxiety, arsis, assault, bacchius, bear, bear upon, bearing, beat, belabor, blight, blow, boost, buck, bull, bulldoze, bummer, bump, bump against, bunt, burden, butt, butt against, cadence, caesura, care, catalexis, chloriamb, chloriambus, clutch, colon, compulsion, concern, concernment, conflict, consequence, consequentiality, consideration, constraint, counterpoint, cram, cramp, cretic, crisis, cross, crowd, crunch, curse, cut, dactyl, dactylic hexameter, decompensation, diaeresis, difficulties, difficulty, dig, dimeter, dipody, distress, disturb, dochmiac, dolor, downer, drive, dwell on, elbow, elegiac, elegiac couplet, elegiac pentameter, emergency, emotional shock, emphasis, emphasize, epitrite, excellence, exigency, external frustration, feature, feminine caesura, focus on, foot, force, forcefulness, frustration, give emphasis to, goad, grief, harass, hard knocks, hard life, hard lot, hardcase, hardship, harp on, haul, head, heave, heptameter, heptapody, heroic couplet, hexameter, hexapody, high order, high pressure, high rank, highlight, hurt, hurtle, hustle, iamb, iambic, iambic pentameter, ictus, imperativeness, import, importance, impulse, impulsion, injury, insistence, interest, ionic, irk, irritation, italicize, jab, jam, jingle, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, lesion, level of stress, lilt, mark, masculine caesura, materiality, measure, mental shock, mental strain, merit, meter, metrical accent, metrical foot, metrical group, metrical unit, metrics, metron, molossus, moment, mora, movement, nasty blow, nervous strain, nervous tension, note, nudge, numbers, overaccentuate, overemphasize, overexert, overexertion, overextend, overextension, overstrain, overstress, overtax, overtaxing, paeon, pain, pang, paramountcy, passion, pentameter, pentapody, period, pile drive, pinch, place emphasis on, play up, plight, point up, poke, precedence, predicament, preeminence, press, pressure, primacy, primary stress, priority, proceleusmatic, prod, prominence, prosodics, prosody, psychological stress, pull, punch, punctuate, push, pyrrhic, quantity, rack, ram, ram down, rash impulse, rattle, rhythm, rhythmic pattern, rhythmical stress, rigor, rub in, run, run against, sea of troubles, secondary stress, self-importance, shake, shock, shoulder, shove, significance, sore, sore spot, spasm, spondee, spotlight, sprung rhythm, star, strain, strain every nerve, straining, stress accent, stress and strain, stress of life, stress pattern, stressfulness, stretch, stroke, suffering, superiority, supremacy, sweat blood, swing, syzygy, tamp, tautness, tax, taxing, tender spot, tense, tenseness, tension, tertiary stress, tetrameter, tetrapody, tetraseme, thesis, throes, thrust, torque, torsion, trauma, traumatism, trial, tribrach, tribulation, trimeter, tripody, triseme, trochee, trouble, troubles, try, tug, underline, underscore, upset, urge, urgency, vale of tears, value, vicissitude, weak stress, weight, worry, worth, wound, wrench