from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Stress \Stress\, n. [Abbrev. fr. distress; or cf. OF. estrecier
to press, pinch, (assumed) LL. strictiare, fr. L. strictus.
See {Distress}.]
1. Distress. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
Sad hersal of his heavy stress. --Spenser.
[1913 Webster]
2. Pressure, strain; -- used chiefly of immaterial things;
except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight;
significance.
[1913 Webster]
The faculties of the mind are improved by exercise,
yet they must not be put to a stress beyond their
strength. --Locke.
[1913 Webster]
A body may as well lay too little as too much stress
upon a dream. --L'Estrange.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Mech. & Physics) The force, or combination of forces,
which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or
manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and
taking specific names according to its direction, or mode
of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear
or tangential stress. --Rankine.
[1913 Webster]
Stress is the mutual action between portions of
matter. --Clerk
Maxwell.
[1913 Webster]
4. (Pron.) Force of utterance expended upon words or
syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in
accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See
{Guide to pronunciation}, [sect][sect] 31-35.
[1913 Webster]
5. (Scots Law) Distress; the act of distraining; also, the
thing distrained.
[1913 Webster]
{Stress of voice}, unusual exertion of the voice.
{Stress of weather}, constraint imposed by continued bad
weather; as, to be driven back to port by stress of
weather.
{To lay stress upon}, to attach great importance to; to
emphasize. "Consider how great a stress is laid upon this
duty." --Atterbury.
{To put stress upon}, or {To put to a stress}, to strain.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Weather \Weath"er\, n. [OE. weder, AS. weder; akin to OS. wedar,
OFries. weder, D. weder, we[^e]r, G. wetter, OHG. wetar,
Icel. ve[eth]r, Dan. veir, Sw. v[aum]der wind, air, weather,
and perhaps to OSlav. vedro fair weather; or perhaps to Lith.
vetra storm, Russ. vieter', vietr', wind, and E. wind. Cf.
{Wither}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. The state of the air or atmosphere with respect to heat or
cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or
cloudiness, or any other meteorological phenomena;
meteorological condition of the atmosphere; as, warm
weather; cold weather; wet weather; dry weather, etc.
[1913 Webster]
Not amiss to cool a man's stomach this hot weather.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Fair weather cometh out of the north. --Job xxxvii.
22.
[1913 Webster]
2. Vicissitude of season; meteorological change; alternation
of the state of the air. --Bacon.
[1913 Webster]
3. Storm; tempest.
[1913 Webster]
What gusts of weather from that gathering cloud
My thoughts presage! --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
4. A light rain; a shower. [Obs.] --Wyclif.
[1913 Webster]
{Stress of weather}, violent winds; force of tempests.
{To make fair weather}, to flatter; to give flattering
representations. [R.]
{To make good weather}, or {To make bad weather} (Naut.), to
endure a gale well or ill; -- said of a vessel. --Shak.
{Under the weather}, ill; also, financially embarrassed.
[Colloq. U. S.] --Bartlett.
{Weather box}. Same as {Weather house}, below. --Thackeray.
{Weather breeder}, a fine day which is supposed to presage
foul weather.
{Weather bureau}, a popular name for the signal service. See
{Signal service}, under {Signal}, a. [U. S.]
{Weather cloth} (Naut.), a long piece of canvas of tarpaulin
used to preserve the hammocks from injury by the weather
when stowed in the nettings.
{Weather door}. (Mining) See {Trapdoor}, 2.
{Weather gall}. Same as {Water gall}, 2. [Prov. Eng.]
--Halliwell.
{Weather house}, a mechanical contrivance in the form of a
house, which indicates changes in atmospheric conditions
by the appearance or retirement of toy images.
[1913 Webster]
Peace to the artist whose ingenious thought
Devised the weather house, that useful toy!
--Cowper.
[1913 Webster]
{Weather molding}, or
{Weather moulding} (Arch.), a canopy or cornice over a door
or a window, to throw off the rain.
{Weather of a windmill sail}, the obliquity of the sail, or
the angle which it makes with its plane of revolution.
{Weather report}, a daily report of meteorological
observations, and of probable changes in the weather;
esp., one published by government authority.
{Weather spy}, a stargazer; one who foretells the weather.
[R.] --Donne.
{Weather strip} (Arch.), a strip of wood, rubber, or other
material, applied to an outer door or window so as to
cover the joint made by it with the sill, casings, or
threshold, in order to exclude rain, snow, cold air, etc.
[1913 Webster]