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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary de·press ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Middle French depresser,from Latin depressus, past participle of deprimere to press down, from de- + premere to press — more at press DATE 14th century 1. obsolete : repress , subjugate 2. a. to press down depress a typewriter key b. to cause to sink to a lower position 3. to lessen the activity or strength of drugs that may depress the appetite 4. sadden , discourage don't let the news depress you 5. to decrease the market value or marketability of English Etymology depress early 14c., from O.Fr . depresser, from L.L. depressare, freq. of L. deprimere "press down," from de- "down" + premere "to press" (see press (v.1)).http://O.Fr Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ depress de·press / di5pres / verb1. to make sb sad and without enthusiasm or hope 使抑郁；使沮丧；使消沉；使失去信心: ▪ [VN] Wet weather always depresses me. 阴雨天总使我心情抑郁。 ▪ [VN to inf] It depresses me to see so many young girls smoking. 看到这么多女孩抽烟令我感到很沮丧。 2. [VN] to make trade, business, etc. less active 使萧条；使不景气: The recession has depressed the housing market. 经济衰退导致住房市场不景气。 3. [VN] to make the value of prices or wages lower 降低(价格)；减少(工资): to depress wages / prices 减少工资；降低价格 4. [VN] (formal) to press or push sth down, especially part of a machine 按,压,推下(尤指机器部件): to depress the clutch pedal (= when driving). (开车时)踩离合器踏板 Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus-11th Edition v. Function: verb 1 Synonyms: LOWER 3, couch, demit, droop, let down, sink 2 to lower in spirit or mood FF1C;the thought of all his debts depressed himFF1E; Synonyms: oppress, press, sadden, weigh down Related Words: ail, distress, trouble; afflict, torment, try; contrist, deject, discourage, dishearten, dispirit; bother, disturb, perturb, upset Contrasted Words: delight, gladden, gratify, please, rejoice; excite, inspire, stimulate; brighten, cheer up, encourage; buoy, elevate Antonyms: elate, exhilarate; cheer Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged de·press \də̇ˈpres, dēˈ-\ transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-es) Etymology: Middle English depressen, from Middle French depresser, from Latin depressus, past participle of deprimere to press down, from de- + -primere (from premere to press) — more at press 1. : to put down or overcome forcibly : crush , subjugate 2. : to press down < depress a typewriter key > : lower: as a. : to cause to sink, fall, or assume a lower level, position, point, situation, or attitude < depressed the mounted gun > < depressed areas below sea level > < where the highway goes through cities you will find, perhaps, a depressed express street … a bridge overhead — William Carter > < raise or depress the roadbed at the crossing of a highway — B.N.Cardozo > b. : to lessen, diminish, impoverish, or depreciate the activity, strength, level, yield, or significance of < confederates in Canada supplied cash for buying gold, shipping it to England and selling it in order to depress Federal currency values — C.H.Coleman > < it has tended to depress the culture of the minority below the point at which a full understanding of poetry becomes possible — C.D.Lewis > < able to depress irritability of the heart muscle by the use of such a drug as procaine > < any number of factors can depress germination in plants > < an injection to depress the excretion > c. : to lower in spirit or mood : press down into dejection : make sad or downcast : discourage , dispirit < the mere volume of work was enough to crush the most diligent of rulers and depress the most vital — John Buchan > d. : to lessen or lower in value, especially market value; also : to lower in marketability e. mathematics : to lower (as an equation) in degree 3. : to cause (certain ore or gangue minerals) to sink while other minerals float — compare flotation 3Synonyms: oppress , weigh (down), weigh (on), or weigh (upon): depress may stress the fact of lowering but does not stress the cause or agency involved. In reference to persons and their feelings it stresses dejection and discouragement < she had been depressed by the failing trade of the shop — Arnold Bennett > < war had blighted his past, depressed his present and clouded his future with grave doubts — E.T.Weir > oppress stresses the fact of a weight or burden calculated to lower but does not stress the effect < the butler, oppressed by the heat of the weather — G.B.Shaw > < the dismaying sense of it [the compulsion of a war period] … oppressed the mind — J.G.Cozzens > weigh (down), weigh (on), and weigh (upon) are used to cover in-between situations; they suggest continuing concern with an urgent oppressive matter calculated to depress < I know too well my own inefficiency; it has weighed on me from youth — Havelock Ellis > < Walter's mind had cleared itself of the depression which had weighed on him so heavily — T.B.Costain > |
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