LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbthird conjugation

premō

premō (present infinitive premere, perfect active pressī, supine pressum)
Classical[ˈprɛ.moː]Ecclesiastical[ˈprɛː.mo]
№ 240 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. to press, push, press close or hard, oppress, overwhelm
    cīncta premēbantur trucibus Capitōlia Gallīs:The Capitol, having been surrounded, was being overwhelmed by the savage Gauls: Already the lengthy siege had caused a famine.8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 6.351–352
  2. to tighten, compress, shorten, press closely, squeeze
  3. to make, form, or shape any thing by pressing
  4. to conceal, cover
  5. to knock down, topple, suppress, strike to the ground
  6. to win, defeat, overcome, exceed
  7. to pursue
  8. to denigrate, disparage, discredit
  9. to close, block, arrest, check, restrain
    Tālia vōce refert, cūrīsque ingentibus aegerSuch words he speaks aloud, and sick with heavy anguish he feigns the face of hope, restrains the sadness deep in his heart. (Outwardly resolute, inwardly distraught: Possible translations vary regarding Aeneas’s self-control.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 1.208–209
  10. to suffocate, repress
  11. to lower, decrease, diminish
  12. to stop, withhold, hold
  13. to rape, ravish
  14. to emphasize a particular word
  15. to approach threateningly to
  16. to condense, abridge, summarize
  17. to cause to sink, dig
  18. poeticto plant; to sow
    Quod superest, quaecumque premes virgulta per agros, Sparge fimo pingui et multa memor occule terra, Aut lapidem bibulum aut squalentis infode conchas; Inter enim labentur aquae tenuisque subibit Halitus atque animos tollent sata; iamque reperti, Qui saxo super atque ingentis pondere testae Urgerent; hoc effusos munimen ad imbris,Translation by James B. Greenough For the rest, whate'er The sets thou plantest in thy fields, thereon Strew refuse rich, and with abundant earth Take heed to hide them, and dig in withal Rough shells or porous stone, for therebetween Will water trickle and fine vapour creep, And so the plants their drooping spirits raise. Aye, and there have been, who with weight of stone Or heavy potsherd press them from above; This serves for shield in pelting showers, and this When the hot dog-star chaps the fields with drought.c. 37 BCE – 30 BCE, Vergilius, Georgicon 2.346–353

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

super rem pōnor et dūrē teneō; currus frāctus virum premit.
premō -ere pressī — in Mille Verba, Circus Maximus

Conjugation conjugation 3

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.premōpremēbampremampressīpresserampresserō
2nd sg.premispremēbāspremēspressistīpresserāspresseris
3rd sg.premitpremēbatpremetpressitpresseratpresserit
1st pl.premimuspremēbāmuspremēmuspressimuspresserāmuspresserimus
2nd pl.premitispremēbātispremētispressistispresserātispresseritis
3rd pl.premuntpremēbantprementpressērunt
pressēre		presserantpresserint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.premampremerempresserimpressissem
2nd sg.premāspremerēspresserīspressissēs
3rd sg.prematpremeretpresseritpressisset
1st pl.premāmuspremerēmuspresserīmuspressissēmus
2nd pl.premātispremerētispresserītispressissētis
3rd pl.premantpremerentpresserintpressissent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.premorpremēbarpremar
2nd sg.premeris
premere		premēbāris
premēbāre		premēris
premēre
3rd sg.premiturpremēbāturpremētur
1st pl.premimurpremēbāmurpremēmur
2nd pl.premiminīpremēbāminīpremēminī
3rd pl.premunturpremēbanturprementur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.premarpremerer
2nd sg.premāris
premāre		premerēris
premerēre
3rd sg.premāturpremerētur
1st pl.premāmurpremerēmur
2nd pl.premāminīpremerēminī
3rd pl.premanturpremerentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.premepremere
pres. 2nd pl.premitepremiminī
fut. 2nd sg.premitōpremitor
fut. 3rd sg.premitōpremitor
fut. 2nd pl.premitōte—
fut. 3rd pl.premuntōpremuntor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivepremerepremī
perfect infinitivepressissepressum esse
future infinitivepressūrum essepressum īrī
present participlepremēns—
perfect participle—pressus
pressa, pressā, pressae, pressam, pressārum, pressās, presse, pressīs, pressō, pressōrum, pressōs
future participlepressūrus
pressūra, pressūrā, pressūrae, pressūram, pressūrārum, pressūrās, pressūre, pressūrī, pressūrīs, pressūrō, pressūrōrum, pressūrōs, pressūrum		premendus
premundus, premenda, premendā, premendae, premendam, premendārum, premendās, premende, premendīs, premendōrum, premendōs
gerundpremendī, premendō, premendumsupinepressum, pressū

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

angoribus premi
to be tormented with anxiety.
novissimos premere
to press the rearguard.
fame laborare, premi
to be tormented by hunger, to be starving.
siti cruciari, premi
to suffer agonies of thirst.
invidia flagrare, premi
to be detested.
tributorum multitudine premi
to be crushed by numerous imposts.
argumentum premere (not urgere)
to persist in an argument, press a point.
servitute premi (Phil. 4. 1. 3)
to languish in slavery.
5 more phrases
pabulatione premi (B. C. 1. 78)
to suffer from want of forage.
inopia alicuius rei laborare, premi
to suffer from want of a thing.
undique premi, urgeri (B. G. 2. 26)
to be pressed on all sides.
angustiis premi, difficultatibus affici
to be in a dilemma; in difficulties.
doloribus premi, angi, ardere, cruciari, distineri et divelli
to feel acute pain.

prĕmo, essi, essum, 3, v. a. etym. dub.; cf. prelum,
I. to press (class.).
I. Lit.: pede pedem alicui premere, Plaut. As. 4, 1, 30: et trepidae matres pressere ad pectora natos, Verg. A. 7, 518: veluti qui sentibus anguem Pressit humi nitens, id. ib. 2, 379: novercae Monstra manu premens, id. ib. 8, 288: pressit et inductis membra paterna rotis, i. e. drove her chariot over her father's body, Ov. Ib. 366: trabes Hymettiae Premunt columnas, press, rest heavily upon them, Hor. C. 2, 18, 3: premere terga genu alicujus, Ov. Am. 3, 2, 24: ubera plena, i. e. to milk, id. F. 4, 769: vestigia alicujus, to tread in, to follow one's footsteps, Tac. A. 2, 14: nudis pressit qui calcibus anguem, Juv. 1, 43: dente frena, to bite, to champ, Ov. M. 10, 704: ore aliquid, to chew, eat, id. ib. 5, 538; cf.: aliquid morsu, Lucr. 3, 663: presso molari, with compressed teeth, Juv. 5, 160: pressum lac, i. e. cheese, Verg. E. 1, 82.—In mal. part.: Hister Peucen premerat Antro, forced, Val. Fl. 8, 256: uxorem, Suet. Calig. 25.—Of animals: feminas premunt galli, Mart. 3, 57, 17.—
B. Transf.
1. Poet., to bear down upon, to touch: premere litora, Ov. M. 14, 416: litus, to keep close to the shore, Hor. C. 2, 10, 3: aëra, i. e. to fly, Luc. 7, 835.—
2. Poet., to hold fast, hold, firmly grasp: premere frena manu, Ov. M. 8, 37: ferrum, to grasp, Sil. 5, 670: capulum, id. 2, 615.—
3. Poet., to press a place with one's body, i. e. to sit, stand, lie, fall, or seat one's self on any thing: toros, Ov. H. 12, 30: sedilia, id. M. 5, 317: hoc quod premis habeto, id. ib. 5, 135: et pictam positā pharetram cervice premebat, id. ib. 2, 421: humum, to lie on the ground, id. Am. 3, 5, 16; cf. id. F. 4, 844: frondes tuo premis ore caducas, id. M. 9, 650; Sen. Hippol. 510.—
4. To cover, to conceal by covering (mostly poet.): aliquid terrā, to conceal, bury in the earth, Hor. Epod. 1, 33: nonumque prematur in annum, kept back, suppressed, id. A. P. 388: omne lucrum tenebris alta premebat humus, Ov. Am. 3, 8, 36: ossa male pressa, i. e. buried, id. Tr. 5, 3, 39; Plin. 2, 79, 81, § 191; hence, to crown, to cover or adorn with any thing: ut premerer sacrā lauro, Hor. C. 3, 4, 18: molli Fronde crinem, Verg. A. 4, 147: canitiem galeā, id. ib. 9, 612: mitrā capillos, Ov. F. 4, 517; cf. Verg. A. 5, 556.—
5. To make, form, or shape any thing by pressing (poet.): quod surgente die mulsere horisque diurnis, Nocte premunt, they make into cheese, Verg. G. 3, 400: os fingit premendo, id. A. 6, 80: caseos, id. E. 1, 35: mollem terram, Vulg. Sap. 15, 7; Calp. Ecl. 5, 34.—
6. To press hard upon, bear down upon, to crowd, pursue closely: hostes de loco superiore, Caes. B. G. 7, 19: Pompeiani nostros premere et instare coeperunt, id. B. C. 3, 46: hac fugerent Graii, premeret Trojana juventus, Verg. A. 1, 467: Pergamenae naves cum adversarios premerent acrius, Nep. Hann. 11, 5: hinc Rutulus premit, et murum circumsonat armis, Verg. A. 8, 473: obsidione urbem, Caes. B. G. 7, 32.—Of the pursuit or chase of animals: ad retia cervum, Verg. G. 3, 413: spumantis apri cursum clamore, id. A. 1, 324: bestias venatione, Isid. 10, 282.—
7. To press down, burden, load, freight: nescia quem premeret, on whose back she sat, Ov. M. 2, 869: tergum equi, id. ib. 8, 34; 14, 343: et natat exuviis Graecia pressa suis, Prop. 4, 1, 114 (5, 1, 116): pressae carinae, Verg. G. 1, 303: pressus membra mero, Prop. 2, 12 (3, 7), 42: magno et gravi onere armorum pressi, Caes. B. G. 4, 24: auro phaleras, to adorn, Stat. Th. 8, 567.—
8. To press into, force in, press upon: (caprum) dentes in vite prementem, Ov. F. 1, 355: presso sub vomere, Verg. G. 2, 356; cf.: presso aratro, Tib. 4, 1, 161: alte ensem in corpore, Stat. Th. 11, 542: et nitidas presso pollice finge comas, Prop. 3, 8 (4, 9), 14: et cubito remanete presso, leaning upon, Hor. C. 1, 27, 8. —
b. To make with any thing (poet.): aeternā notā, Ov. F. 6, 610: littera articulo pressa tremente, id. H. 10, 140: multā via pressa rotā, id. ib. 18, 134.—
9. To press down, let down, cause to sink down, to lower: nec preme, nec summum molire per aethera currum, Ov. M. 2, 135: humanaeque memor sortis, quae tollit eosdem, Et premit, id. Tr. 3, 11, 67: mundus ut ad Scythiam Rhiphaeasque arduus arces Consurgit, premitur Libyae devexus in Austros, sinks down, Verg. G. 1, 240; Sen. Herc. Fur. 155. —
b. In partic.
(a). To set, plant: virgulta per agros, Verg. G. 2, 346; 26.—
(b). To make or form by pressing down, to make any thing deep, to dig: vestigio leviter presso, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 24, § 53; cf. (trop.): vestigia non pressa leviter, sed fixa, id. Sest. 5, 13: sulcum premere, to draw a furrow, Verg. A. 10, 296: fossam transversam, inter montes pressit (al. percussit), Front. Strat. 1, 5: fossa pressa, Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 4: cavernae in altitudinem pressae, Curt. 5, 1, 28.—
(g). To strike to the ground, to strike down: tres famulos, Verg. A. 9, 329: paucos, Tac. H. 4, 2.—
10. To press closely, compress, press together, close: oculos, Verg. A. 9, 487: alicui fauces, Ov. M. 12, 509: laqueo collum, to strangle, Hor. Ep. 1, 16, 37: angebar ceu guttura forcipe pressus, Ov. M. 9, 78: presso gutture, compressed, Verg. G. 1, 410; cf.: siquidem unius praecordia pressit ille (boletus) senis, i. e. stopped his breath, Juv. 6, 621: quibus illa premetur Per somnum digitis, choked, id. 14, 221: amplexu presso, united, in close embrace, Sen. Oedip. 192: oscula jungere pressa, to exchange kisses, Ov. H. 2, 94; so, pressa basia, Mart. 6, 34, 1: presso gradu incedere, in close ranks, foot to foot, Liv. 28, 14: pede presso, id. 8, 8.—
b. In partic.
(a). To shorten, tighten, draw in: pressis habenis, Verg. A. 11, 600 (cf.: laxas dure habenas, id. ib. 1, 63).—
(b). To keep short, prune: Calenā falce vitem, Hor. C. 1, 31, 9: luxuriem falce, Ov. M. 14, 628: falce premes umbras (i. e. arbores umbrantes), Verg. G. 1, 157; 4, 131: molle salictum, Calp. Ecl. 5, 110.—
(g). To check, arrest, stop: premere sanguinem, Tac. A. 15, 64: vestigia pressit, Verg. A. 6, 197: attoniti pressere gradum, Val. Fl. 2, 424' dixit, pressoque obmutuit ore, was silent, Verg. A. 6, 155.—
11. To press out, bring out by pressure: tenerā sucos pressere medullā, Luc. 4, 318; cf.: (equus) collectumque fremens volvit sub naribus ignem, Verg. ap. Sen. Ep. 95, 68, and id. G. 3, 85 Rib.—
12. To frequent: feci ut cotidie praesentem me viderent, habitavi in oculis, pressi forum, Cic. Planc. 27, 66.—
II. Trop.
A. To press, press upon, oppress, overwhelm, weigh down; to urge, drive, importune, pursue, to press close or hard, etc. (class.): ego istum pro suis factis pessumis pessum premam, Plaut. Most. 5, 2, 49 Lorenz ad loc.: quae necessitas eum tanta premebat, ut, etc., Cic. Rosc. Am. 34, 97: ea, quae premant, et ea, quae impendeant, id. Fam. 9, 1, 2: aerumnae, quae me premunt, Sall. J. 14, 22: pressus gravitate soporis, bound by heavy, deep sleep, Ov. M. 15, 21: cum aut aere alieno, aut magnitudine tributorum, aut injuriā potentium premuntur, Caes. B. G. 6, 13: invidia et odio populi premi, Cic. de Or. 1, 53, 228: premi periculis, id. Rep. 1, 6, 10: cum a me premeretur, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 53, § 139; cf.: aliquem verbo, id. Tusc. 1, 7, 13: criminibus veris premere aliquem, Ov. M. 14, 401: cum a plerisque ad exeundum premeretur, exire noluit, was pressed, urged, importuned, Nep. Ages. 6, 1: a Pompeii procuratoribus sescentis premi coeptus est, Cic. Att. 6, 1, 3: numina nulla premunt; mortali urgemur ab hoste, Verg. A. 10, 375: premere reum voce, vultu, Tac. A. 3, 67: crimen, to pursue obstinately, Quint. 7, 2, 12: confessionem, to force a confession from one, id. 7, 1, 29: argumentum etiam atque etiam, to pursue steadily, Cic. Tusc. 1, 36, 88: ancipiti mentem formidine pressus, Verg. A. 3, 47: maerore pressa, Sen. Oct. 103: veritate pressus negare non potuit, overcome, overpowered, Lact. 4, 13.—
B. Transf.
1. To repress, hide, conceal (mostly poet.): dum nocte premuntur, Verg. A. 6, 827: curam sub corde, id. ib. 4, 332: odium, Plin. Pan. 62: iram, Tac. A. 6, 50: pavorem et consternationem mentis vultu, id. ib. 13, 16: interius omne secretum, Sen. Ep. 3, 4: dolorem silentio, Val. Max. 3, 3, 1 ext.; cf. silentia, Sil. 12, 646: aliquid ore, Verg. A. 7, 103: jam te premet nox, Hor. C. 1, 4, 16.—
2. To lower, diminish, undervalue, disparage, depreciate: premendorum superiorum arte sese extollebat, Liv. 22, 12: arma Latini, Verg. A. 11, 402: opuscula ( = deprimere atque elevare), Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 36: famam alicujus, Tac. A. 15, 49: premere ac despicere, Quint. 11, 1, 16: premere tumentia, humilia extollere, id. ib. 10, 4, 1.—
b. To surpass, exceed: facta premant annos, Ov. M. 7, 449: ne prisca vetustas Laude pudicitiae saecula nostra premat, id. P. 3, 1, 116: quantum Latonia Nymphas Virgo premit, Stat. S. 1, 2, 115.—
c. To rule (poet.): dicione premere populos, Verg. A. 7, 737: imperio, id. ib. 1, 54: Mycenas Servitio premet, id. ib. 1, 285.—
3. To suppress, pull down, humble, degrade: quae (vocabula) nunc situs premit, Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 118: nec premendo alium me extulisse velim, Liv. 22, 59, 10; cf. id. 39, 41, 1: premebat reum crimen, id. 3, 13, 1.—
4. To compress, abridge, condense: haec enim, quae dilatantur a nobis, Zeno sic premebat, Cic. N. D. 2, 7, 20.—
5. To check, arrest, repress, restrain: cursum ingenii tui, Brute, premit haec importuna clades civitatis, Cic. Brut. 97, 332: sub imo Corde gemitum, Verg. A. 10, 464: vocem, to be silent, id. ib. 9, 324: sermones vulgi, to restrain, Tac. A. 3, 6.—
6. To store up, lay up in the mind, muse upon: (vocem) ab ore Eripuit pater ac stupefactus numine pressit, Verg. A. 7, 119.—Hence, pressus, a, um, P. a.
I. Moderate, slow, suppressed, kept down.
A. Lit.: presso pede eos retro cedentes principes recipiebant, Liv. 8, 8, 9: presso gradu, id. 28, 14, 14; cf.: pressoque legit vestigia gressu, Ov. M. 3, 17.—
B. Trop.
1. Of the voice or manner, subdued: haec cum pressis et flebilibus modis, qui totis theatris maestitiam inferant, Cic. Tusc. 1, 44, 106.—
2. Of color, lowered, depressed; hence, dark, gloomy: color pressus, Pall. 4, 13, 4: color viridi pressior, Plin. 35, 6, 13, § 32: spadices pressi, Serv. Verg. G. 3, 82.—
II. Esp., of an orator or of speech.
A. Compressed, concise, plain, without ornament (class.): fiunt pro grandibus tumidi, pressis exiles, fortibus temerarii, etc., Quint. 10, 2, 16: cum Attici pressi et integri, contra Asiani inflati et inanes haberentur, id. 12, 10, 18.—Of style: pressa et tenuia, et quae minimum ab usu cotidiano recedant, Quint. 10, 1, 102: pressus et demissus stilus, Plin. Ep. 1, 8, 5; Quint. 4, 2, 117.—Comp.: in concionibus pressior, et circumscriptior, et adductior, more moderate, keeping more within bounds, Plin. Ep. 1, 16, 4.—
B. Close, exact, accurate: Thucydides ita verbis aptus et pressus, ut, Cic. de Or. 2, 13, 56: quis te fuit umquam in partiundis rebus pressior? more exact, more accurate, id. Fragm. ap. Non. 364, 24: sicuti taxare pressius crebriusque est, quam tangere, Gell. 2, 6, 5: quod (periculum) observandum pressiore cautelā censeo, stricter, greater, App. M. 5, p. 160, 36: cogitationes pressiores, id. ib. 5, p. 163, 32.—So of sounds, precise, intelligible: (lingua) vocem profusam fingit atque sonos vocis distinctos et pressos facit, Cic. N. D. 2, 59, 149.—Hence, adv.: pressē, with pressure, violently (class.): artius pressiusque conflictata, Atei. Capito ap. Gell. 10, 6, 2.—
B. Closely, tightly.
1. Lit.: vites pressius putare, Pall. 12, 9: pressius colla radere, Veg. Vet. 1, 56.—
2. Trop.
a. Of pronunciation, shortly, neatly, trimly: loqui non aspere, non vaste, non rustice, sed presse, et aequabiliter, et leniter, Cic. de Or. 3, 12, 45; id. Off. 1, 37, 133.—
b. Of the mode of expression, etc., concisely, not diffusely: definire presse et anguste, Cic. Or. 33, 117: abundanter dicere, an presse, Quint. 8, 3, 40: pressius et astrictius scripsi, Plin. Ep. 3, 18, 10.—
(b). Without ornament, simply: unum (genus oratorum) attenuate presseque, alterum sublate ampleque dicentium, Cic. Brut. 55, 202: aliquid describere modo pressius, modo elatius, Plin. Ep. 4, 14, 3.—
(g). Closely, exactly, correctly, accurately: mihi placet agi subtilius, et pressius, Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 24: definiunt pressius, id. Tusc. 4, 7, 14: anquisitius, et exactius pressiusque disserere, Gell. 1, 3, 21.

Origins

Forms not built on the present stem probably come from Proto-Italic *pres-, from Proto-Indo-European *pr-es- (“to press”), from *per- (“to push, beat, press”). The present stem is assumed to be an analogical formation on the model of tremō, which had the variant stems *trem- and *tres- in Proto-Indo-European.

Descendants
  • Catalanprémer
  • Englishprint
  • Englishpress
  • Italianpremere
  • Frenchpreindrefrom Old French priembre
  • Portuguesepremer
  • Portuguesepremir
  • Spanishpremirfrom Old Spanish premer
  • Asturianprimir
  • Esperantopremi

Quick answers

What does premō mean in Latin?
premō, a verb, means “to press, push, press close or hard, oppress, overwhelm; to tighten, compress, shorten, press closely, squeeze; to make, form, or shape any thing by pressing”.
What are the principal parts of premō?
premō, premere, pressī, pressum (third conjugation).
How do you pronounce premō?
In classical Latin, [ˈprɛ.moː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈprɛː.mo].