stress

¹

[ stres ]

noun

1. importance attached to a thing:

   to lay stress upon good manners.

   Synonyms: worth, value, weight, consequence, emphasis, meaning, significance

2. Phonetics. emphasis in the form of prominent relative loudness of a syllable or a word as a result of special effort in utterance.
3. Prosody. accent or emphasis on syllables in a metrical pattern; beat.
4. emphasis in melody, rhythm, etc.; beat.
5. the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another; strain.
6. Mechanics. strain ¹( def 23 ), shear ( def 19 ), torsion ( def 3 ).
   1. the action on a body of any system of balanced forces whereby strain or deformation results.
   2. the amount of stress, usually measured in pounds per square inch or in pascals.
   3. a load, force, or system of forces producing a strain.
   4. the internal resistance or reaction of an elastic body to the external forces applied to it.
   5. the ratio of force to area.
7. Physiology. a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.
8. physical, mental, or emotional strain or tension:

   Worry over his job and his wife's health put him under a great stress.

   Synonyms: strain, struggle, exertion, effort, oppression, pressure, burden, anxiety

9. a situation, occurrence, or factor causing this:

   The stress of being trapped in the elevator gave him a pounding headache.

10. Archaic. strong or straining exertion.

verb (used with object)

1. to lay stress on; emphasize.
2. Phonetics. to pronounce (a syllable or a word) with prominent loudness: Compare accent ( def 18 ).

   Stress the first syllable of “runner.” Stress the second word in “put up with.”

3. to subject to stress or strain.
4. Mechanics. to subject to stress.

verb (used without object)

1. to experience stress or worry:

   Don't stress about the turkey; I promise it will be delicious.

   Dad is always stressing out over his job.

-stress

²

1. a feminine equivalent of -ster:

   seamstress; songstress.

stress

¹

/ strɛs /

noun

1. special emphasis or significance attached to something
2. mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension
3. emphasis placed upon a syllable by pronouncing it more loudly than those that surround it
4. such emphasis as part of a regular rhythmic beat in music or poetry
5. a syllable so emphasized
6. physics
   1. force or a system of forces producing deformation or strain
   2. the force acting per unit area

verb

1. tr to give emphasis or prominence to
2. tr to pronounce (a word or syllable) more loudly than those that surround it
3. tr to subject to stress or strain
4. informal.
   intr to become stressed or anxious

-stress

²

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating a woman who performs or is engaged in a certain activity Compare -ster

   seamstress

   songstress

stress

/ strĕs /

1. The force per unit area applied to an object. Objects subject to stress tend to become distorted or deformed.
2. Compare strainSee also axial stressSee more at Hooke's law
3. 1. A physiologic reaction by an organism to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar physical or psychological stimulus. Biological changes result from stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, including a heightened state of alertness, anxiety, increased heart rate, and sweating.
   2. The stimulus or circumstance causing such a reaction.

stress

¹

1. A physical factor, such as injury, or mental state, such as anxiety , that disturbs the body's normal state of functioning. Stress may contribute to the development of some illnesses, including heart disease and cancer .

stress

²

1. In physics , the internal resistance of an object to an external force that tends to deform it.

Notes

The term stress also refers to the physical and mental state produced in the body when it is influenced by such factors: “The stress of the new job was too much for Tim, so he requested reassignment to his old position in the company.”

Derived Forms

• ˈstressful, adjective
• ˈstressfully, adverb
• ˈstressfulness, noun

Other Words From

• stressless adjective
• stressless·ness noun
• anti·stress adjective
• de-stress verb (used with object)
• non·stress noun
• over·stressed adjective
• re·stress verb
• under·stress noun
• under·stress verb (used with object)
• well-stressed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stress¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; (noun) Middle English stresse, aphetic variant of distresse; (verb) derivative of the noun; distress

Origin of stress²

-st(e)r + -ess

Word History and Origins

Origin of stress¹

C14: stresse, shortened from distress

Origin of stress²

from -st ( e ) r + -ess

Example Sentences

Those “wasteful” studies were studying the effects of stress on rats—and how that stress might be increased if those rats had a lot of previous alcohol exposure.

From Slate

It’s something important to study and understand for the many people living with both alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder.

From Slate

In a world of constraints and an environment under stress, why should he have to share with them?

From Salon

Going forward, if you want reliable information you have to reintroduce the regulations that stress facts over profits.

From Salon

If you want reliable information, you have to reintroduce regulations that stress facts over profits.

From Salon

Related Words

• agony
• anxiety
• burden
• crunch
• fear
• hardship
• hassle
• heat
• intensity
• nervousness
• strain
• tension
• trauma
• worry