Wordwyrt

oppress

/əpˈɹes/uh-PRES
/əpˈɹɛs/uh-PRES

Meaningto press against

Common meaning: to keep down harshly

‘against (form of ob-)’ + ‘to press’ → oppress

Journey through time

  1. Latinpremō, pressī, pressum‘to press’
  2. Frenchoppresser
  3. Middle Englishoppressensource
  4. Englishoppress‘to keep down harshly’ · today

op- also in: opportune

press also in: pressureexpressimpresssuppress

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin premō ‘to press’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry premō, p. 1440 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

expressimpresspressuresuppress

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