Stress - Definition

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]