English word distress comes from Latin dis-, Latin stringere, and later Old French destrecier (To distress (cause distress, anguish).)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| dis- | Latin (lat) | Asunder, apart, in two. Reversal, removal. Utterly, exceedingly. |
| stringere | Latin (lat) | |
| distringere | Latin (lat) | |
| *districtiare | Malayalam (mal) | |
| destrecier | Old French (fro) | To distress (cause distress, anguish). |
| distress | English (en) | (Cause of) discomfort.. (legal) A seizing of property without legal process to force payment of a debt.. (legal) The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction.. Serious danger. (legal) To retain someone’s property against the payment of a debt; to distrain.. To cause strain or anxiety to someone.. To treat a new object to give it an appearance of age. |