press

press
\ \ English has two words press. The commoner, and older, ‘exert force, push’ [14], comes via Old French presser from Latin pressāre, a verb derived from the past participle of premerepress’ (source of English print). The corresponding noun press (which actually arrived in English a century earlier in the now archaic sense ‘crowd’) originated as a derivative of the Old French verb. Derived verbs in English include compress [14], depress [14], express, impress [14], oppress [14], repress [14], and suppress [14].
\ \ The other press, ‘force’ [16], is now found virtually only in the expression ‘press into service’ and in the compound press-gang [17]. It originally denoted ‘compel to join the navy, army, etc’, and was an alteration, under the influence of pressexert force’, of prestpay recruits’. This was a verbal use of Middle English prestmoney given to recruits’, which was borrowed from Old French prestloan’.
\ \ This in turn was a derivative of the verb presterlend’, which went back to Latin praestāreprovide’, a compound formed from the prefix prae- ‘before’ and stārestand’. Related to praestāre was Latin praestōat hand’, from which have evolved French prêtready’ and Italian and Spanish prestoquick’ (English borrowed the Italian version as presto [16]).
\ \ Cf.COMPRESS, DEPRESS, EXPRESS, IMPRESS, OPPRESS, PRINT, REPRESS, SUPPRESS; PRESTO, STATION

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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