Contents
English
Wikipedia has articles on: DistressPronunciation
Etymology
From Old French destresse (French: détresse).
Noun
|
Singular distress |
Plural uncountable |
distress (uncountable)
- (Cause of) discomfort.
- Serious danger.
- Three ships were in distress that night.
- (law) A seizing of property without legal process to force payment of a debt.
Verb
|
Infinitive to distress |
Third person singular distresses |
Simple past distressed |
Past participle distressed |
Present participle distressing |
to distress (third-person singular simple present distresses, present participle distressing, simple past and past participle distressed)
- To cause strain or anxiety to someone.
- (law) To retain someone’s property against the payment of a debt; to distrain.
- 1894, James Kent, William Hardcastle Browne, Commentaries on American Law, page 645:
- This power of distress, as anciently used, became as oppressive as the feudal forfeiture. It was as hard for the tenant to be stripped in an instant of all his goods, for arrears of rent, as to be turned out of the possession of his farm.
- 1894, James Kent, William Hardcastle Browne, Commentaries on American Law, page 645:
- To treat an object, such as an antique, to give it an appearance of age.
- She distressed the new media cabinet so that it fit with the other furniture in the room.
Translations
cause strain or anxiety
|
Medscape
June 26, 2009 Management of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in children is reviewed in the June 15 Online First ...
