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.

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verb / noun

impress

To leave a distinct mark by pressing upon something.

The potter impresses a leaf pattern into the soft clay.

Etymology

impressLatinpress into or stamp

The Latin verb means to press into. This sense keeps the physical action: pressure produces a distinct mark in the receiving material.

More examples

She impressed her initials into the wet cement.
Try impressing a coin into the dough.
The wax bears the impress of a small seal.

Forms

impress · impresses · impressed · impressing

impression noun — A mark left by pressure on something.

Similar words

stamp: Usually uses a shaped tool to leave a design.
imprint: Emphasizes the clear image left on a surface.
indent: Specifically makes a hollow or recessed mark by pressure.