/ri zis"teuhns/ , n.
1. the act or power of resisting, opposing, or withstanding.
2. the opposition offered by one thing, force, etc., to another.
3. Elect.
a. Also called ohmic resistance . a property of a conductor by virtue of which the passage of current is opposed, causing electric energy to be transformed into heat: equal to the voltage across the conductor divided by the current flowing in the conductor: usually measured in ohms. Abbr.: R
b. a conductor or coil offering such opposition; resistor.
4. Psychiatry. opposition to an attempt to bring repressed thoughts or feelings into consciousness.
5. ( often cap. ) an underground organization composed of groups of private individuals working as an opposition force in a conquered country to overthrow the occupying power, usually by acts of sabotage, guerrilla warfare, etc.: the resistance during the German occupation in World War II.
6. Stock Exchange. See resistance level .
[ 1300-50; ME ]
Syn. 1. opposition, obstinacy, defiance, intransigence.