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 imposition
2 : the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3 archaic : impression, stamp
4 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 force
5 : 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 atmosphere
8 : a sensation aroused by moderate compression of a body part or surface

— pres·sure·less adjective