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oppression

/əˈpɹɛʃən/ noun

Latin root: oppressiō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about oppression at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. The act of subjugating by cruelty.
    the tyrant's oppression of the people
  2. The state of being kept down by unjust use of force or authority: "after years of oppression they finally revolted".
  3. A feeling of being oppressed.

Origin

From Middle English oppression, from Old French oppression, from Latin oppressiō (“a pressing down, violence, oppression”), from opprimō; see oppress.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)