Express

How to spell express

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce express

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does express mean?

1. verbTo convey or communicate a thought, feeling, or idea in words or actions.
2. adjectiveOperating at high speed or designed for rapid, direct service.

Express in a sentence

• verb

  She struggled to express her gratitude in the thank-you note.

• adjective

  The express train skips the smaller stations on the way to the city.

• verb

  The survey lets staff express concerns about the new policy.

• adjective

  She paid extra for express delivery so the parcel would arrive overnight.

Where does express come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin exprimere, formed from ex meaning 'out' and premere meaning 'to press'. The literal sense was 'to press out' or 'squeeze out', as one might press juice from fruit, and from that physical image grew the figurative idea of pressing thoughts out into words. English borrowed it through Old French expresser in the 1300s, taking on the meaning of putting feelings or ideas into clear form. The adjective sense of 'explicit' or 'precisely stated' developed from the notion of something distinctly pressed out and unmistakable, and from there came the modern idea of an 'express' service that is fast and direct. The same premere root sits inside everyday relatives such as 'press', 'pressure', and 'compress', which is a useful reminder that the double s at the end mirrors the s in those pressing words.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• press (from Latin pressare: to press); literally 'to press out'