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distress

 
Dictionary: dis·tress   (dĭ-strĕs') pronunciation
tr.v., -tressed, -tress·ing, -tress·es.
  1. To cause strain, anxiety, or suffering to. See synonyms at trouble.
  2. Law. To hold the property of (a person) against the payment of debts.
  3. To mar or otherwise treat (an object or fabric, for example) to give the appearance of an antique or of heavy prior use: "There are the fakes-new rugs which have been intentionally distressed for an older look" (Hatfield MA Valley Advocate).
  4. Archaic. To constrain or overcome by harassment.
n.
  1. Anxiety or mental suffering.
    1. Severe strain resulting from exhaustion or an accident.
    2. Acute physical discomfort.
    3. Physical deterioration, as of a highway, caused by hard use over time: pavement distress.
  2. The condition of being in need of immediate assistance: a motorist in distress.
  3. Law.
    1. The act of distraining or seizing to compel payment.
    2. The goods thus seized.

[Middle English distressen, from Old French destresser, from destresse, constraint, from Vulgar Latin *districtia, from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere, to hinder. See distrain.]

distressingly dis·tress'ing·ly adv.

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Thesaurus: distress
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verb

  1. To cause anxious uneasiness in: ail, cark, concern, trouble, worry. See concern/unconcern.
  2. To cause suffering or painful sorrow to: aggrieve, grieve, hurt, injure, pain, wound. See happy/unhappy.

noun

  1. A troubled or anxious state of mind: angst, anxiety, anxiousness, care, concern, disquiet, disquietude, nervousness, solicitude, unease, uneasiness, worry. See feelings.
  2. A state of physical or mental suffering: affliction, agony, anguish, hurt, misery, pain, torment, torture, woe, wound, wretchedness. See happy/unhappy.
  3. The condition of being in need of immediate assistance: exigence, exigency, hot water, trouble. See help/harm/harmless.

Antonyms: distress
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n

Definition: hardship, adversity
Antonyms: advantage, benefit, miracle

n

Definition: pain, agony
Antonyms: comfort, happiness, health, pleasure

v

Definition: worry, upset
Antonyms: assist, calm, comfort, help, soothe


The negative, harmful aspects of stress. Compare eustress.

Law Encyclopedia: Distress
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This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The seizure of personal property for the satisfaction of a demand.

The process of distress, sometimes called distrain, began at common law wherein a landlord had the right to confiscate the chattels of a tenant who had defaulted on a rent payment. Today, it is regulated by statute, and is used to mean the taking of property to enforce the performance of some obligation.

A warrant of distress is a writ that authorizes an officer to seize a person's goods. It is usually used in situations where a landlord has the right to obtain a lien on a tenant's goods for nonpayment of rent.

If personal property is seized to enforce the payment of taxes and then publicly sold if the taxes are not subsequently paid, the sale is called a distress sale. Distressed goods are chattels sold at a distress sale.

Veterinary Dictionary: distress
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Physical or mental anguish or suffering.

Devil's Dictionary: distress
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A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


n.

A disease incurred by exposure to the prosperity of a friend.


Word Tutor: distress
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Sorrow or anxiety. Also: Danger.

pronunciation I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve. — Charles de Secondat.

Wikipedia: Distress (novel)
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Distress is a 1995 science fiction novel by Greg Egan ISBN 0061052647.

Contents

Plot summary

It describes the political intrigue surrounding a mid-twenty-first century physics conference, at which is to be presented a unified Theory of Everything. In the background of the story is an epidemic mental illness, related in some way to the imminent discovery of the TOE. The action takes place on an artificial island called "Stateless", which has earned the wrath of the world's large biotech companies for its pilfering of their intellectual property. The novel contains a great deal of satirical commentary on gender identities, multinational capitalism, and postmodern thought. It also features Egan's usual playful exploration of physical, metaphysical, and epistemological theories.

Gender roles

Egan uses his hypothetical future to postulate the existence of not just one but five new genders, and introduces a set of new pronouns to designate each one. One of the central characters of the novel, Akili Kuwale, provides a demonstration of this change and its implications. As an asexual human, Akili has had all reproductive organs removed entirely, distinct from hermaphrodites who possess both. Within the scope of the novel, Egan uses the pronouns 've', 'ver', and 'vis' to represent Akili's definitive gender neutrality.

Anarchism

Egan also uses the hypothetical technological advances in Distress to explore ideas about anarchism, especially when its protagonist, Andrew Worth, a journalist, travels to the anarchistic man-made island 'stateless'. Andrew meets some small characters on stateless who explain to him the relationship between anarchistic principles and various ideas such as; quantum physics; information theory; independent spirituality[1].

Worth also meets a painter, Munroe, who attempts to explain how anarchy on stateless functions[2].

Munroe is an Australian as is Andrew Worth and Greg Egan himself. Egan uses Munroe to deliver a critique of Australian culture.

"Don't you ever get sick of living in a society which talks about itself, relentlessly - and usually lies? Which defines everything worthwhile - tolerance, honesty, loyalty, fairness - as 'uniquely Australian'?"[3]

A major theme running through Egan's presentation of a futuristic anarchism is something called 'Technolibération', which is to do with the liberation of technology and information from corporate control as well as the idea of using advanced technology to enable liberatory social movements.

Footnotes

  1. ^ (p.221)
  2. ^ (p.114)
  3. ^ (p.121)



Translations: Distress
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - sorg, bekymring, smerte, ulykke, udpantning, udmattelse, kortåndethed
v. tr. - volde sorg, gøre bekymret, pine

idioms:

  • distress signal    nødsignal
  • distress warrant    udpantningskendelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
nood, ramp, gevaar, ellende, uitputting, leed berokkenen, verdriet doen, uitputten, verontrusten, kwellen, beslag leggen op

Français (French)
n. - douleur, chagrin, affliction, détresse, misère, péril, (Jur) saisie
v. tr. - affliger, peiner

idioms:

  • distress signal    signal de détresse
  • distress warrant    (Hist) mandat d'assistance

Deutsch (German)
n. - Not, Leid, Elend, Erschöpfung, Pfändung
v. - bekümmern, bedrücken, quälen, erschöpfen

idioms:

  • distress signal    Notsignal
  • distress warrant    Zwangsvollstreckungsbefehl

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - αγωνία, ανησυχία, πίκρα, απελπισία, ένδεια, φτώχεια, αθλιότητα, δυστυχία, κίνδυνος, δύσκολη θέση, λύπη, θλίψη, υπερένταση
v. - θλίβω, λυπώ, ταλανίζω, βασανίζω, καταπονώ, ανησυχώ

idioms:

  • distress signal    σήμα κινδύνου
  • distress warrant    (νομ.) ένταλμα κατασχέσεως

Italiano (Italian)
addolorare, recare dispiacere a, miseria, pericolo, sofferenza

idioms:

  • distress signal    segnale di soccorso
  • distress warrant    avviso di sequestro

Português (Portuguese)
n. - angústia (f), perigo (m), arresto (m) (Jur.), sofrimento (m)
v. - afligir

idioms:

  • distress signal    sinal(m) de perigo (Náut.)
  • distress warrant    mandado (m) de prisão

Русский (Russian)
огорчать, истощать, описывать имущество, несчастье, опасность, горе

idioms:

  • distress signal    сигнал опасности
  • distress warrant    ордер на опись имущества

Español (Spanish)
n. - apuro, necesidad, peligro, desolación, congoja, angustia, miseria
v. tr. - afligir, apenar

idioms:

  • distress signal    señal de socorro
  • distress warrant    auto judicial que ordena un embargo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - trångmål, utmattning
v. - försätta i trångmål, plåga, jur. göra utmätning

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
悲痛, 不幸, 穷困, 使悲痛, 使忧伤, 使苦恼, 使贫困

idioms:

  • distress signal    遇难信号
  • distress warrant    扣押令

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 悲痛, 不幸, 窮困
v. tr. - 使悲痛, 使憂傷, 使苦惱, 使貧困

idioms:

  • distress signal    遇難信號
  • distress warrant    扣押令

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 고통, 가난, 재난
v. tr. - 고통스럽게 하다, 가난하게 하다, 압류하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 苦痛, 苦悩, 悩みの種, 困難, 遭難, 貧苦
v. - 苦しめる, 困窮させる

idioms:

  • distress signal    遭難信号
  • distress warrant    差押令状

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) محنه, أسى, يصيبه بمحنه (فعل) يكدر, يحزن, يقلق, خطر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סכנה, מצוקה, סבל, צער, עיקול‬
v. tr. - ‮ציער, גרם סבל‬


 
 
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