Expresses

How to spell expresses

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce expresses

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does expresses mean?

1. verbConveys a thought, feeling, or idea in words, gestures, or another form.
2. verbRepresents a quantity or relationship using symbols or a particular form.

Expresses in a sentence

• Her report expresses serious concern about the budget overrun.

• The formula expresses speed as distance divided by time.

• He rarely expresses gratitude, so the thank-you note surprised everyone.

• This chart expresses the data as a percentage of total sales.

Where does expresses come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the third-person singular present form of the verb 'express', which English took from Old French 'espresser' in the 1300s, itself rooted in the Latin 'exprimere'. That Latin verb combined 'ex', meaning 'out', with 'premere', meaning 'to press', so its literal sense was 'to press out', as one presses juice from a fruit or shapes wax with a seal. From the idea of pressing a form or image outward came the figurative notion of pressing thoughts and feelings out into words, which is the dominant modern meaning. The same 'premere' root sits inside 'press', 'compress', and 'impression', all sharing that sense of applied force. The doubled 's' in the middle traces straight back to the Latin 'press' element, and the '-es' ending is simply the regular spelling for verbs ending in 's' taking a third-person form.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• press (from Latin pressare: to press)
• -es (third-person singular verb ending)