'depression' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'deprimere' where the prefix 'de-' meant 'down' and 'primere/primere' (from 'premere') meant 'to press'.

'deprimere' became the Late Latin noun 'depressio', which passed into French as 'dépression' and then into English as 'depression' with the sense of 'a pressing down' and later extended senses.

Initially it meant 'a pressing down' or 'a sunken place'; over time it developed figurative senses such as 'low spirits' and larger-scale senses like 'economic downturn' and 'low atmospheric pressure'.