Impression
/ɪmˈprɛʃən/noun
An effect, feeling, or image made on the mind or surface.
Did you know?Impression comes from Latin pressare, “to press,” so the same ancient force behind a stamp on wax also gave us the idea of a thought or feeling being forced onto the mind.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to strike, beat, press”
Latin
Latin
premere
“to press, squeeze, push down”
Latin
Latin
impressiō
“a pressing into, stamping, imprint”
Old French
Old French
impression
“an imprint, impression, effect”
Middle English
English
impression
“a mark made by pressure; an effect on the mind”
Modern English
English
impression
“an effect, feeling, or image made on the mind or surface”