Where does “oppressive” come from?
Oppressive comes from Middle English oppressen, from Latin opprimere meaning "to press against or burden," combining ob- "against" with the root per- "to press" found in Proto-Indo-European.
oppressive (English): Burdensome or difficult to bear; Tyrannical or...
Definitions
- Burdensome or difficult to bear; Tyrannical or...
Ancestry of “oppressive”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | oppress | To keep down by unjust force; To make sad or... |
| 2 | Middle English | oppressen | — |
| 3 | Old French | oppresser | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | oppressare | to press against, oppress |
| 5 | Latin | opprimere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | opprimo | I press down upon; I suppress; I take by... |
| 7 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 8 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷélHos | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |