Search the Dictionary

A seamstress. Two hundred sepstress were employed to make me shirts. Swift.

Seamstressy.

A woman who sings; a female singing bird. Thomson.

A woman who spins. T. Brown.

A woman who suggests. "The suggestress of suicides." De Quincey.

, abuse of a female child. [Obs.] Or is it some abuse, and no such thing Shak. Abuse of distress (Law), a wrongful using of an animal or chattel distrained, by the distrainer.

Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse.

To suffer pain; to have, or be in, pain, or in continued pain; to be distressed. "My old bones ache." Shak. The sins that in your conscience ache. Keble.

To inflict some great injury or hurt upon, causing continued pain or mental distress; to trouble grievously; to torment. They did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. Exod. i. 11. That which was the worst now least afflicts me. Milton.

Grievously painful; distressing; afflictive; as, an afflicting event. -- Af*flict"ing*ly, adv.

e of continued pain of body or mind, as sickness, losses, etc.; an instance of grievous distress; a pain or grief. To repay that money will be a biting affliction. Shak.

Giving pain; causing continued or repeated pain or grief; distressing. "Jove's afflictive hand." Pope. Spreads slow disease, and darts afflictive pain. Prior.

To make great; to enlarge; to increase; as, to aggrandize our conceptions, authority, distress.

er; a gallant. [R.] Milton. It was the custom for an amorist to impress the name of his mistress in the dust, or upon the damp earth, with letters fixed upon his shoe. Southey.

Extreme pain, either of body or mind; excruciating distress. But they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. Ex. vi. 9. Anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child. Jer. iv. 31.

A state of restlessness and agitation, often with general indisposition and a distressing sense of oppression at the epigastrium. Dunglison.

t, or which is distinguished from the rest (known as the thesis) of the foot by a greater stress of voice. Hermann.

To give support to in some undertaking or effort, or in time of distress; to help; to aid; to succor. Assist me, knight. I am undone! Shak.

Favoring; favorable; propitious; -- applied to persons or things. "Thy auspicious mistress." Shak. "Auspicious gales." Pope.

The defendant in replevin, who avows the distress of the goods, and justifies the taking. Cowell.