As a noun, distress is extreme worry, pain, or suffering, either emotional or physical. As a verb, to distress someone is to cause them this kind of serious upset.
From Old French 'destresse' meaning 'hardship, suffering', from Latin 'districtus' meaning 'tight, drawn apart'. The idea of being 'pressed' or 'pulled' too hard became emotional and physical suffering.
In distress, you’re literally 'stressed apart'—stretched beyond what you can easily handle. That’s why we talk about 'distress signals': they’re calls from systems or people pulled to their limits.
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