word stress

American  

noun

1. the stress pattern or patterns associated with the words of a particular language when they are considered in isolation.

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word stress British  

noun

1. the stress accent on the syllables of individual words either in a sentence or in isolation

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Etymology

Origin of word stress

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

My Carver classmates complain about challenging classes and competitive sports, but they don't know the meaning of the word "stress."

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

There are actually schoolbooks which treat the verse ictus, the beat of the chanter's foot, as a word stress and prescribe terra trib�s scopul�s.

From Society for Pure English Tract 4 The Pronunciation of English Words Derived from the Latin by Sargeaunt, John