Webster's English Dictionary

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stress

1. stress \'stres\ n [ME stresse stress, distress, fr. destresse - more at 
   DISTRESS] 1: constraining force or influence : as  1a: mutual force or 
   action between contiguous surfaces of bodies caused by  external force (as 
   tension or shear); specif : the intensity of this mutual force commonly 
   expressed in pounds per square inch 1b: a physical, chemical, or emotional 
   factor that causes bodily or mental  tension and may be a factor in disease 
   causation 1c: a state resulting from a stress; esp : one of bodily or 
   mental  tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent 
   equilibrium 2: EMPHASIS, WEIGHT {lay ~ on a point}  archaic  3: intense 
   effort or exertion  4: intensity of utterance given to a speech sound, 
   syllable, or word produc ing relative loudness 5a: relative force or 
   prominence of sound in verse  5b: a syllable having relative force or 
   prominence  6: ACCENT, ACCENT 
2. stress vt 1: to subject to phonetic stress : ACCENT  2: to subject to 
   physical stress  3: to lay stress on : EMPHASIZE