stress

Plural
stresses

English focus texts

Please note
n (14c)
Definition from Glossary

Force per unit area; a force exerted on one body that presses on, pulls on, pushes against, or tends to invest or compress another body; the deformation caused in a body by such a force; an internal force that resists an externally applied load or force. It is normally defined in terms of mechanical stress, which is the force divided by the perpendicular cross sectional area over which the force is applied—see COMPRESSIVE S., SHEARING S., TENSILE S.

Pronunciation
stre˘s