Where does “press” come from?
Press comes from Middle English presse, from Old English press, from Latin pressare, the frequentative of premere meaning to push or squeeze.
press (English): A device used to apply pressure to an item; A...
Definitions
- A device used to apply pressure to an item; A...
Ancestry of “press”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | presse | throng, crowd, clothespress |
| 2 | Old French | presse | — |
| 3 | Old French | presser | to press |
| 4 | Latin | pressāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | premere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | premo | I press; I pursue |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pres- | to press |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |