Meaning

• Noun

  1. A physical, chemical, infective agent aggressing an organism.
  2. Aggression toward an organism resulting in a response in an attempt to restore previous conditions.
  3. The internal distribution of force across a small boundary per unit area of that boundary (pressure) within a body. It causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by σ or τ.
  4. Force externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.
  5. Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.
  6. A suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound, word or word group by means of of loudness, duration or pitch; phonological prominence.
  7. The suprasegmental feature of a language having additional attention raised to a sound by means of of loudness and/or duration; phonological prominence phonetically achieved by means of dynamics as distinct from pitch.
  8. Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).
  9. (obsolete) Obsolete form of distress.
  10. distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.

• Verb