depress

[dih-pres] /dɪˈprɛs/
verb (used with object)
1.
to make sad or gloomy; lower in spirits; deject; dispirit.
2.
to lower in force, vigor, activity, etc.; weaken; make dull.
3.
to lower in amount or value.
4.
to put into a lower position:
to depress the muzzle of a gun.
5.
to press down.
6.
Music. to lower in pitch.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English depressen < Anglo-French, Old French depresser < Latin dēpressus pressed down (past participle of dēprimere, equivalent to de- de- + -primere, combining form of premere to press); see pressure
Related forms
depressible, adjective
depressibility, noun
overdepress, verb (used with object)
undepressible, adjective
Synonyms
1. dishearten, discourage, sadden. See oppress. 3. devalue, cheapen.
Antonyms
4. raise, elevate.
Examples from the web for depress
  • To push them up artificially would merely raise unemployment, which would depress consumption and imports still further.
  • Most of the burden of filling these gaps will fall on the companies themselves, which will depress their profits.
  • The more they produce, the more they depress the price of natural gas.
  • And malaria can stifle foreign investment, depress tourism and hinder the movement of labor between regions.
  • All of these drugs are designed to depress the central nervous system in various ways to reduce pain or induce sleep.
  • At the indicated moment, every player must depress the button on the handle.
  • Others-it is feared-displace local skills and depress wages at the bottom.
  • The ensuing rush to protect home markets served only to depress commerce further.
  • The main impact of the property downturn will be to depress construction.
  • Rumors are part of the market and lift prices as often as depress them.
British Dictionary definitions for depress

depress

/dɪˈprɛs/
verb (transitive)
1.
to lower in spirits; make gloomy; deject
2.
to weaken or lower the force, vigour, or energy of
3.
to lower prices of (securities or a security market)
4.
to press or push down
5.
to lower the pitch of (a musical sound)
6.
(obsolete) to suppress or subjugate
Derived Forms
depressible, adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Old French depresser, from Latin dēprimere from de- + premere to press1
Word Origin and History for depress
v.

early 14c., "put down by force," from Old French depresser, from Late Latin depressare, frequentative of Latin deprimere "press down," from de- "down" (see de-) + premere "to press" (see press (v.1)).

Meaning "push down physically" is from early 15c.; that of "deject, make gloomy" is from 1620s; economic sense of "lower in value" is from 1878. Related: Depressed; depressing.

depress in Medicine

depress de·press (dĭ-prěs')
v.

  1. To lower in spirits; deject.

  2. To cause to drop or sink; lower.

  3. To press down.

  4. To lessen the activity or force of something.