rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: premere
Latin

premere

press

Forms

  • premere
  • press- — The changed form used for completed action and its derivatives.
  • -prim- — The vowel changed in some Latin compounds.

Origin

An inherited Latin verb with older Indo-European ancestry; the exact earliest reconstruction is uncertain.

Note

Physical pressure supplied a natural model for restraint, expression, and compression.

5 / 28
adjective

depressed

Very unhappy, or reduced below a usual level.

She feels depressed when her closest friends move far away.

Etymology
deLatindown, away; removal
+pressLatinpress
+edEnglishhaving a feature or being in a resulting state

Latin de- and premere express pressing down. Depressed describes the lowered result, applying it both to measurable levels and to a person’s low emotional state.

More examples

  • He seems depressed and no longer enjoys his hobbies.
  • Housing prices remain depressed across much of the region.
  • Sales stay depressed despite the store's generous discounts.

Forms

depressed · more depressed · most depressed

depress verb — To make unhappy or lower something.

depression noun — Deep unhappiness or a lowered level.

Similar words

sad
Describes unhappiness without necessarily suggesting its severity or persistence.
low
Describes mood or quantity without necessarily implying a decline.