Etymograph

English

compress

Compress comes from Late Latin compressare ‘to press hard/together’, from Latin comprimō ‘to compress’, and ultimately from premō ‘press’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpremō‘press’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcomprimō‘to compress’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompressuspast participle of comprimō
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcompressare‘to press hard/together’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400compresser
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500compressen
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1717compress

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpremō‘press’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcomprimō‘to compress’
  3. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompressuspast participle of comprimō
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcompressare‘to press hard/together’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400compresser
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500compressen
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1717compress

Earliest quotation: 1717, Alexander Pope, The Fable of Dryope. From the Ninth Book of Ovid’s Metamorph: “This nymph compreſs'd by him vvho rules the day,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘to push, beat, press’

first, before, support, far, per, further, report, price, private, fear, opportunity, practice, port, primary, prior, prime, afford, ford, appreciate, pre, forth, prize, practical, parade, par, praise, privilege, ferry, precious, interpretation, pirate, porch, pardon, fare, primitive, prix, peril, afar, pragmatic, petra, 156 more

through Proto-Italic *pres-

impressionable, impressionist, expressionism, impressionism, 31 more

through Latin premō ‘press’

pressure, pregnant, depression, expression, express, impressive, impression, oppression, suppression, imprint, impress, depressive, sprain, reprimand, depress, repress, imprimatur, 35 more

Another origin of compress

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompressus
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcompressare‘to press hard/together’
  3. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600compresse
  4. Englishtodaycompress

Today it means

verb To make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin premō / compress

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