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What is the difference between stress and stressor?

stress | stressor |

As nouns the difference between stress and stressor

is that stress is the internal distribution of force per unit area (pressure) within a body reacting to applied forces which causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by σ while stressor is an environmental condition or influence that stresses (i.e. causes stress for) an organism.

As a verb stress

is to apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.

stress

English

Noun

  • (countable, physics) The internal distribution of force per unit area (pressure) within a body reacting to applied forces which causes strain or deformation and is typically symbolised by
  • (countable, physics) externally applied to a body which cause internal stress within the body.
  • (uncountable) Emotional pressure suffered by a human being or other animal.
  • Go easy on him, he's been under a lot of stress lately.
  • (uncountable, phonetics) The emphasis placed on a syllable of a word.
  • Some people put the stress on the first syllable of “controversy”; others put it on the second.
  • (uncountable) Emphasis placed on words in speaking.
  • (uncountable) Emphasis placed on a particular point in an argument or discussion (whether spoken or written).
  • (Spenser)
  • (Scotland, legal) distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.
  • Synonyms

    * (phonetics) accent, emphasis * (on words in speaking) emphasis * (on a point) emphasis

    Verb

  • To apply force to (a body or structure) causing strain.
  • To apply emotional pressure to (a person or animal).
  • (informal) To suffer stress; to worry or be agitated.
  • To emphasise (a syllable of a word).
  • “Emphasis” is stressed on the first syllable, but “emphatic” is stressed on the second.
  • To emphasise (words in speaking).
  • To emphasise (a point) in an argument or discussion.
  • I must stress that this information is given in strict confidence.

    Synonyms

    * (phonetics) emphasise/emphasize * (on words in speaking) emphasise/emphasize * (on a point) emphasise/emphasize, underline

    Derived terms

    * stressed * stress out

    References

    stressor

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (psychology, biology) An environmental condition or influence that stresses (i.e. causes stress for) an organism.
  • *2011 , (Steven Pinker), The Better Angels of Our Nature , Penguin 2012, p. 670:
  • *:These paradoxical pleasures [...] are acquired by controlling one's exposure to the stressor in gradually increasing doses.