Depress
/dɪˈprɛs/noun
To lower, press down, or cause a person’s mood or activity to become lower or diminished.
Did you know?Depress comes from Latin pressare/pressus, the same root behind pressure and oppression, so the word has always carried the image of force pushing something downward.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to strike, push, or press”
Latin
Latin
premere
“to press, squeeze, or hold down”
Latin
Latin
deprimere
“to press down, sink, or lower”
Late Latin / Old French
Latin / Old French
depress-
“pressed down; lowered”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
depressen
“to press down physically or reduce in height”
Modern English
English
depress
“to lower, diminish, or make sad”