Main Entry:

¹pres·sure

Pronunciation:

\ˈpre-shər\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pressura, from Latin, action of pressing, pressure, from pressus, past participle of premere

Date:

14th century

1 a: the burden of physical or mental distress b: the constraint of circumstance : the weight of social or economic imposition2: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression3archaic : impression, stamp4 a: the action of a force against an opposing force b: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by its area c: electromotive force5: the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention : exigency <people who work well under pressure>6: the force of selection that results from one or more agents and tends to reduce a population of organisms <population pressure> <predation pressure>7: the pressure exerted in every direction by the weight of the atmosphere8: a sensation aroused by moderate compression of a body part or surface

— pres·sure·less adjective