Main Entry: ¹dis·tress

Pronunciation: \di-ˈstres\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English destresse, from Anglo-French destresce, from Vulgar Latin *districtia, from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere

Date: 13th century

1 a : seizure and detention of the goods of another as pledge or to obtain satisfaction of a claim by the sale of the goods seized b : something that is distrained
2 a : pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind : trouble <gastric distress> b : a painful situation : misfortune
3 : a state of danger or desperate need <a ship in distress>

synonyms distress, suffering, misery, agony mean the state of being in great trouble. distress implies an external and usually temporary cause of great physical or mental strain and stress <the hurricane put everyone in great distress>. suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress <the suffering of famine victims>. misery stresses the unhappiness attending especially sickness, poverty, or loss <the homeless live with misery every day>. agony suggests pain too intense to be borne <in agony over the death of their child>.