exprimo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈɛk.sprɪ.moː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈɛk.spri.mo]^[1]

Forms

exprimō (present infinitive exprimere, perfect active expressī, supine expressum); third conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from ex- and premō “to press”.^[2][1][3] Some late medical writers have ⟨expremō⟩, perhaps a recomposition.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of stamping a design, and Cato, of squeezing out liquid.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC and Cato 234–149 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to squeeze or press out, wring out, as Cato's pressing and Pliny's oil pressed from almonds, to eject by pressure, and in Caesar to raise up.^[2][5][6] It meant to extract, extort something from a person, as in Cicero, and in Lucretius to force out sounds.^[2] It meant to stamp a design, and so to make a likeness, copy, portray in sculpture or painting, as in Horace.^[2] In Terence it meant to render in another language, translate, and in Cicero and later writers to express in words, describe, state expressly, and to articulate sounds precisely.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to express, represent, describe.^[7] It survives in Italian spremere “to squeeze” and Portuguese espremer, and was borrowed as French exprimer.^[1] English express came in the late 14th century through Old French and Medieval Latin expressāre.^[8]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of stamping a design.^[2][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of squeezing out.^[2][4]
• 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of translating.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of expressing in words.^[2][4]
• late 14th century – English express is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Verb

1. To squeeze, press out, wring out; to eject by pressure.^[2]
2. To press upward, raise.^[2]
3. To extract, extort; to force out sounds.^[2]
4. To stamp a design; to copy, portray.^[2]
5. To render in another language, translate.^[2]
6. To express in words, describe; to state expressly.^[2]
7. To articulate precisely.^[2]

Word family

• expressim
• expressiō
• expressor
• expressus

Related words

• premō
• English express
• English expression

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com