Category:Oppress

Op*press", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Oppressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Oppressing.] Etym: [f. oppresser, ll. oppressare, fr. L. oppressus, P. p. of opprimere; ob (see ob-) + premere to press. See press.]

1. To impose excessive burdens upon; to overload; hence, to treat With unjust rigor or with cruelty. Wyclif. For thee, oppressèd king, am i cast down. Shak. Behold the kings of the earth; how they oppress thy chosen ! Milton.

2. To ravish; to violate. [obs.] Chaucer.

3. To put down; to crush out; to suppress. [obs.] The mutiny he there hastes to oppress. Shak.

4. To produce a sensation of weight in (some part of the body); as, My lungs are oppressed by the damp air; excess of food oppresses the Stomach.