exprimere

Exprimere is a Latin verb meaning to press out, extract, or express. In classical Latin it covers both literal acts of pressing liquids from a substance and figurative uses such as making one’s thoughts, feelings, or meaning known by speech or writing. The verb can denote yielding something by pressure as well as articulating or setting forth ideas, opinions, or expressions.

Etymology and forms: Exprimere is formed from ex- “out” and premere “to press.” The principal parts are exprimere, expressi, expressum, and it belongs to the third conjugation (-ere). This allows a range of tenses and voices for both literal and figurative senses, including present, imperfect, perfect, and pluperfect forms in active and passive verbs.

Usage: Common constructions include exprimere aliquid (to express or squeeze out something) and exprimere sententiam or exprimere cogitationem (to express an opinion or thought). The noun expressio (expression) and the participle expressus (pressed out, expressed) are derived from this verb. In English, the related verb express and the noun expression trace their lineage to the same Latin root.

Cognates and influence: Latin exprimere is the ancestor of many modern forms in Romance languages, such as French exprimer and Spanish expresar, and of the English verb express and noun expression. The semantic range of exprimere—physical pressing and figurative articulation—persists in these descendants.