Think of a weight resting on something and never being taken off. Not a blow, which lands and is over, but a steady downward push that does not let up. Oppress can be read that way, and the word wears the picture on its face: press, with a piece in front meaning against. What changes between the uses is only where the weight sits. On a group of people it becomes unfair power — they cannot rise, cannot speak, cannot leave. On one person's mind it becomes mood — the room feels close, the air feels thick, the day feels long.
From the word’s history
The word came through Old French from Latin opprimere, formed from ob- (against) and premere (to press). English press comes from the same premere. So the picture is not a later metaphor added on top; it is what the parts have always said.
這個字經由古法文來自拉丁文 opprimere，由 ob-（對著）和 premere（壓）組成。英文的 press 也是從同一個 premere 來的。所以「壓」不是後來才加上去的比喻，那本來就是這些零件在說的話。
Wiktionary entry supplied in this packet — source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:823919406, etymology_text: 'From Middle English oppressen, from Old French oppresser, from Medieval Latin oppressare … from ob (against) + premere (to press); see press.'
登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。
原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
oppressverb/əˈpɹɛs/
- 1
To keep down by unjust force.
- The rural poor were oppressed by the land-owners.
- 2
To make sad or gloomy.
- We were oppressed by the constant grey skies.
- 3
obsoletePhysically to press down on (someone) with harmful effects; to smother, crush.
- Most mercilesse of women, VVyden hight, / Her other sonne fast sleeping did oppresse, / And with most cruell hand him murdred pittilesse.
- 4
obsoleteTo sexually violate; to rape.
oppressnoun/əˈpɹɛs/
- 1
obsoleteOppression.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。