depress

From Middle English depressen, from Old French depresser, from Latin dēpressus, perfect participle of dēprimō (“to press down, to weigh down”), from dē- (“off, away, down, out”) +‎ premō (“to press”).

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɹɛs/

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• Rhymes: -ɛs

depress (third-person singular simple present depresses, present participle depressing, simple past and past participle depressed)

1. To press down.

   Depress the upper lever to start the machine.

2. To make depressed, sad or bored.

   Winter depresses me.

3. (economics) To cause a depression or a decrease in parts of the economy.

   Lower productivity will eventually depress wages.

4. To bring down or humble; to abase (pride, etc.).
5. (mathematics) To reduce (an equation) in a lower degree.

• downbear

• depress in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• depress in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

• pressed, spersed