oppressive

/əˈpɹesɪv/uh-PREH-siv

/əˈpɹɛsɪv/uh-PREH-siv

Meaningtending to press against

Common meaning: harsh

Other meanings: heavy and stifling

opagainst (form of ob-)
pressto pressLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1440 · scan
iveadjective ending: tending to

‘against (form of ob-)’ + ‘to press’ → oppressive

Journey through time

Latinpremō, pressī, pressum‘to press’
Frenchoppresser
Middle Englishoppressensource
Englishoppress‘to keep down harshly’
Englishformed in English from oppressoppressive‘harsh’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from oppress + -ive.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), OPPRESS, p.404 · scan

Roots

premō, pressī, pressum Latin “to press”

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