Where does “oppressor” come from?
Oppressor derives from Middle English oppressour, from Old French oppresseur, from Medieval Latin oppressor, agent noun from oppressare, from Latin opprimere meaning to press against or crush.
oppressor (English): Someone who oppresses another or others
Definitions
- Someone who oppresses another or others
Ancestry of “oppressor”, 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 |