prestress

[pree-stres]

verb (used with object)

(in certain concrete construction) to apply stress to (reinforcing strands) before subjecting to a load.
to make (a concrete member) with prestressed reinforcing strands.

Origin of prestress

First recorded in 1930–35; pre- + stress

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for prestress

prestress

verb

(tr) to apply tensile stress to (the steel cables, wires, etc, of a precast concrete part) before the load is applied

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