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pressure

[presh-er]
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noun
  1. the exertion of force upon a surface by an object, fluid, etc., in contact with it: the pressure of earth against a wall.
  2. Physics. force per unit area. Symbol: PCompare stress(def 6).
  3. Meteorology. atmospheric pressure.
  4. Electricity. electromotive force.
  5. the state of being pressed or compressed.
  6. harassment; oppression: the pressures of daily life.
  7. a constraining or compelling force or influence: the social pressures of city life; financial pressure.
  8. urgency, as of affairs or business: He works well under pressure.
  9. Obsolete. that which is impressed.
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verb (used with object), pres·sured, pres·sur·ing.
  1. to force (someone) toward a particular end; influence: They pressured him into accepting the contract.
  2. pressurize.
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Origin of pressure

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Latin pressūra. See press1, -ure
Related formspres·sure·less, adjectivein·ter·pres·sure, adjectivenon·pres·sure, noun, adverbsu·per·pres·sure, noun, adjectiveun·der·pres·sure, nounun·pres·sured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

tensionstressstrengthstrainburdensqueezeforcehardshipweightconstraintinfluencepowerheattroubleadversitypresspushconstraincompelinsist

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British Dictionary definitions for pressure

pressure

noun
  1. the state of pressing or being pressed
  2. the exertion of force by one body on the surface of another
  3. a moral force that compelsto bring pressure to bear
  4. an urgent claim or demand or series of urgent claims or demandsto work under pressure
  5. a burdensome condition that is hard to bearthe pressure of grief
  6. the normal force applied to a unit area of a surface, usually measured in pascals (newtons per square metre), millibars, torr, or atmospheresSymbol: p, P
  7. short for atmospheric pressure, blood pressure
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verb
  1. (tr) to constrain or compel, as by the application of moral force
  2. another word for pressurize
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Derived Formspressureless, adjective

Word Origin

C14: from Late Latin pressūra a pressing, from Latin premere to press
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pressure

n.

late 14c., "suffering, anguish; act or fact of pressing on the mind or heart," from Old French presseure "oppression; torture; anguish; press" (for wine or cheeses), "instrument of torture" (12c.) and directly from Latin pressura "action of pressing," from pressus, past participle of premere "to press" (see press (v.1)).

Literal meaning "act or fact of pressing" in a physical sense is attested from early 15c. Meaning "moral or mental coercing force" is from 1620s; meaning "urgency" is from 1812. Scientific sense in physics is from 1650s. Pressure cooker is attested from 1915; figurative sense is from 1958. Pressure point is attested from 1876. Pressure-treated, of woods, is from 1911.

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v.

"to pressurize," 1886, American English, from pressure (n.). Meaning "to exert pressure on" (someone) is attested by 1922. Related: Pressured; pressuring.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
pressure in Medicine

pressure

(prĕsh′ər)
n.
  1. The act of pressing or condition of being pressed.
  2. A stress or force acting in any direction against resistance.
  3. Force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
pressure in Science

pressure

[prĕsh′ər]
  1. The force per unit area that one region of a gas, liquid, or solid exerts on another. Pressure is usually measured in Pascal units, atmospheres, or pounds per square inch.♦ A substance is said to have negative pressure if some other substance exerts more force per unit area on it than vice versa. Its value is simply the negative of the pressure exerted by the other substance.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pressure in Culture

pressure

The force exerted on a given area. (See atmospheric pressure.)

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Note

The most familiar measure of pressure is psi (pounds per square inch), used to rate pressure in automobile and bicycle tires.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.