stress
• noun 1 pressure or tension exerted on a material object. 2 a state of mental, emotional, or other strain. 3 particular emphasis. 4 emphasis given to a syllable or word in speech. • verb 1 emphasize. 2 give emphasis to (a syllable or word) when pronouncing it. 3 subject to pressure, tension, or strain. — ORIGIN shortening of DISTRESS, or partly from Old French estresse ‘narrowness, oppression’; related to STRICT.
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