depress

English

Etymology

From Middle English depressen, from Old French depresser, from Latin dēpressus, perfect participle of dēprimō (“to press down, to weigh down”), from dē- (“off, away, down, out”) +‎ premō (“to press”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɹɛs/
• Rhymes: -ɛs

Verb

depress (third-person singular simple present depresses, present participle depressing, simple past and past participle depressed)

2. To press down.

   Depress the upper lever to start the machine.

3. To make depressed, sad or bored.

   Winter depresses me.

4. (economics) To cause a depression or a decrease in parts of the economy.

   Lower productivity will eventually depress wages.

5. To bring down or humble; to abase (pride, etc.).
6. (mathematics) To reduce (an equation) in a lower degree.

Synonyms

• downbear

Derived terms

• depressable, depressible
• depressant
• depressed
• depressing
• depression
• depressive
• depressor

 

Translations

to press down on

• Bulgarian: натискам (bg) (natiskam)
• Finnish: painaa alas
• French: appuyer (fr)

• Hebrew: לחץ‎ (he) (lakhátz)
• Ido: depresar (io)
• Portuguese: pressionar (pt)
• Slovak: stlačiť

to make depressed, sad or bored

• Bulgarian: гнетя (bg) (gnetja), потискам (bg) (potiskam)
• Catalan: deprimir (ca)
• Czech: deprimovat
• Dutch: deprimeren (nl)
• Finnish: masentaa (fi), ahdistaa (fi)
• German: deprimieren (de)

• Hebrew: דיכא‎ (diké')
• Ido: depresar (io)
• Maori: rāwakiwaki, whakapōuri
• Portuguese: deprimir (pt)
• Slovak: deprimovať
• Spanish: deprimir (es)

to cause a depression or a decrease in parts of the economy

• Finnish: laskea (fi), alentaa (fi)

• Ido: depresar (io)

References

• depress in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• depress in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• pressed, spersed