Pressure
/ˈprɛʃ.ər/noun
The force exerted on a surface by something pressing against it.
Did you know?Pressure entered English through Old French from Latin pressura, a noun built from premere, meaning “to press,” the same root behind words tied to squeezing, crowding, and constraint.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*preh₁-
“to press, squeeze”
Latin
Latin
premere
“to press, squeeze, crowd”
Latin
Latin
pressura
“a pressing; pressure”
Old French
OF
pression
“a pressing, a squeeze”
Middle English
English
pressour
“pressure, oppression”
Modern English
English
pressure
“force exerted on a surface or the state of being pressed”