Pressures

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The force applied to a surface by an object or substance ; the psychological or social demand that influences a person's behavior or decisions
2. The intensity of physical force on an area or a body ; the mental or social stress experienced due to external expectations or demands
3. A physical force pressing on something, often measured in units of force per area ; the feeling of mental or societal compulsion or urgency to act in a certain way

Etymology: "Pressures" is simply the plural of "pressure," so its story is the story of that noun. "Pressure" comes from Latin "pressūra," a noun formed from the verb "premere," meaning "to press." The Latin root reaches back to ancient forms that the verb "premere" also descends from, and the suffix "-ūra" marks the result or state of an action, so the word originally named the act or condition of pressing. Over time the physical sense of squeezing and force grew into the figurative senses we now use. The same logic explains the modern English usage: a pressure is whatever bears down on you, whether a weight of air or a demand on your time. Its plural simply counts those separate forces, physical or social, that press in from different directions.

Synonyms: stress, strain, tension, load, burden

Antonyms: relief, ease, comfort