# distress

Pronunciation: say "di-STRES" /dɪˈstɹɛs/

## Noun

1. Acute physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, of a notably sharp or intense character.
   - Simple: Strong pain, worry, or fear caused by something hard to bear.
   - _The survivors showed signs of severe distress after the rescue._
   - _Her voice betrayed real distress as she described the accident._
3. A condition of grave danger or trouble, especially at sea or in the air.
   - Simple: A state of serious danger that calls for quick help.
   - _The coast guard responded to a vessel in distress off the coast._
   - _An aircraft in distress was given priority to land immediately._
4. A source or cause of acute discomfort, suffering, or alarm.
   - Simple: Something that causes great pain, worry, or fear.
   - _The long illness was a lasting distress to everyone who cared for her._
   - _Financial ruin proved the greatest distress of his later years._
6. An unpleasant state of stress that a person cannot fully adapt to.
   - Simple: A bad kind of stress that a person cannot get used to or shake off.
   - _Chronic distress can weaken the immune system over time._
   - _Therapists help clients manage the distress that builds from constant strain._
7. The seizing of a debtor's property, without court proceedings, as a means of compelling payment.
   - Simple: The taking of a person's belongings to force them to pay a debt.
   - _The landlord resorted to distress when the rent went unpaid for months._
   - _Under the old rules, distress allowed a creditor to seize livestock for a debt._
9. The property seized in distraining; goods taken and held to secure payment of a debt.
   - Simple: The property taken from someone to make them pay a debt.
   - _The bailiff impounded the cattle and held them as a distress._
   - _The court ordered the distress returned once the debt was cleared._

## Verb

2. To cause someone strain, worry, or anxiety.
   - Simple: To make someone feel very worried or upset.
   - _The news will distress everyone who knew him._
   - _Try not to distress the patients with alarming details._
5. To treat a newly made object so that it takes on the look of age or wear.
   - Simple: To treat a new object so it looks old on purpose.
   - _Craftsmen distress the leather to give each bag a vintage appearance._
   - _She wanted to distress the cabinet so it matched her older furniture._
8. To seize or retain someone's property to enforce payment of a debt; to distrain.
   - Simple: To hold a person's property until they pay a debt they owe.
   - _The lord's bailiff could distress any chattels found on the land for unpaid rent._
   - _Creditors were once allowed to distress livestock to recover what they were owed._

## Origin

The verb comes from Middle English distressen, from Old French destrecier ("to restrain, constrain, afflict"); compare French détresse. The noun comes from Middle English distresse, from Old French destrece. Both ultimately trace to Latin distringō ("to pull asunder, stretch out"), from dis- ("apart") plus stringō ("to draw tight").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/distress (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).