Where does “押し殺す” come from?

押し殺す (Japanese) comes from Old Japanese 押す — to push.

押し殺す (Japanese): to stifle (a voice, emotions, etc.)

Definitions

  1. to stifle (a voice, emotions, etc.)

Ancestry of “押し殺す”, step by step

押し殺す traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Japanese 押す

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Japanese押すto push

via Japanese 殺す

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese殺すto kill, to put to death
Every word from Old Japanese 押す
押し殺す — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer