Expression
/ɪkˈsprɛʃən/noun
The act of conveying thought or feeling; a word, phrase, or face that shows it.
Did you know?Expression ultimately traces back to Latin exprimere, built from ex- (“out”) + premere (“to press”), so the idea behind it is literally something forced out by pressure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to strike, press”
Latin
Latin
premere
“to press, squeeze, hold down”
Latin
Latin
exprimere
“to press out, squeeze out, portray”
Old French
Old French
expression
“the action of pressing out; a form of utterance or portrayal”
Middle English
English
expression
“the act of expressing or setting forth”
Modern English
English
expression
“the act of conveying thought or feeling; a word, phrase, or face that shows it”