A term used when a ship requires immediate assistance from unlooked-for damage or danger. (See signal of distress.)
·noun To compel by pain or suffering. II. Distress ·noun To seize for debt; to <<Distrain>>. III. ...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
When a ship is in imminent danger, she hoists her national flag upside down, and, if she is armed, f...
The Sailor's Word-Book