Etymograph

English

express

Express comes from Old French espresser, from a frequentative form of Latin exprimō ‘to press out, express’, from ex- + premō ‘to press’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexprimō1‘to press out; to express’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400espresser1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1634express1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English express
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1634, John Milton, The Mask of Comus: “Soon as the potion works, their human countenance, /…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexprimōWiktionary, English express‘to press out; to express’
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400espresserWiktionary, English express
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1634expressWiktionary, English express. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1634, John Milton, The Mask of Comus: “Soon as the potion works, their human countenance, /…”

Every English word from Latin exprimō

Another origin of express

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pres-‘to press’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pres-uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpremō‘press’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEexprimōas exprimere‘to press (out)’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400espresser
  6. Englishtodayexpress

Today it means

adj Moving or operating quickly, as a train not making local stops.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “express”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin exprimō / express

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