Under great stress

1. Bearing a stress or accent
2. Suffering severe physical strain or distress; SYN. distressed, in a bad way.

ETYM Latin tensus, p. p. of tendere to stretch. Related to Tend to move, and cf. Toise.
1. Taut or rigid; stretched tight.
2. In or of a state of physical or nervous tension.
3. (Phonetics) Pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in 'beat').