Express
/ɪkˈsprɛs/noun
To convey or state something clearly, or something sent or done with speed.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *expressus*, the past participle of *exprimere*—literally “to press out,” a physical image that later became a metaphor for making thoughts visible in speech and writing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*prem-
“to press”
Latin
Latin
premere
“to press, squeeze, push”
Latin
Latin
exprimere
“to press out, squeeze out, portray”
Old French
OF
esprès
“express, explicit, clearly stated”
Middle English
English
express
“clearly stated; later, conveyed swiftly”
Modern English
English
express
“to convey clearly or with speed”