| Load: | (english) An external force. The term load is sometimes used to describe more general actions such as temperature differentials or movements such as foundation settlements. |
| Modulus of elasticity: | (english) The proportional constant between stress and strain for material with linear elastic behavior: calculated as stress divided by strain. Modulus of elasticity can be interpreted as the slope of the stress-strain graph. It is usually denoted as E, sometimes known as Young's Modulus Y, or E-Modulus. |
| Moment: | (english) The resultant of a system of forces causing rotation without translation. A moment can be expressed as a couple. |
| Normal strain: | (english) Strain measuring the intensity of deformation along an axis. Normal strain is usually denoted by . Average normal strain between two points is calculated as (Delta L / L), where L is the original distance between the points, and L is the change in that distance. Normal strain is often simply called strain. |
| Pin support: | (english) In two dimensions, a pin support restrains two translation degrees of freedom but does not restrain rotation. When considering reaction forces, a pin support is usually considered to have two force components: one each about the x and y axes respectively. |
| Pressure: | (english) Pressure is a similar idea to stress, the force intensity at a point, except that pressure means something acting on the surface of an object rather than within the material of the object. When discussing the pressure within a fluid, the meaning is equivalent to stress. |
| Reaction: | (english) A reaction is a force exerted by a support on an object: sometimes called support reaction. Using this definition, a reaction is an external force. |
| Resultant: | (english) The resultant of a system of forces is a single force or moment whose magnitude, direction, and location make it statically equivalent to the system of forces. |
| Rigid: | (english) An idealized concept meaning something which does not deform under loading. In fact, all objects deform under loading, but in modelling it can be useful to idealize very stiff objects as rigid. |
| Shear: | (english) An system of internal forces whose resultant is a force acting perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a structural member or assembly: sometimes called shear force. |