a depressed or sunken place or part; an area lower than the surrounding surface.
sadness; gloom; dejection.
Psychiatry. a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason.Compare clinical depression.
dullness or inactivity, as of trade.
Economics. a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity.
Pathology. a low state of vital powers or functional activity.
Astronomy. the angular distance of a celestial body below the horizon; negative altitude.
Surveying. the angle between the line from an observer or instrument to an object below either of them and a horizontal line.
Physical Geography. an area completely or mostly surrounded by higher land, ordinarily having interior drainage and not conforming to the valley of a single stream.
Meteorology. an area of low atmospheric pressure.
Origin of depression
1350–1400;Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Medieval Latindēpressiōn- (stem of dēpressiō), Late Latin: a pressing down, equivalent to Latindēpress(us) (see depress) + -iōn--ion
Related formsan·ti·de·pres·sion, adjective, nounmin·i·de·pres·sion, nounnon·de·pres·sion, nounpost·de·pres·sion, adjectivepre·de·pres·sion, noun, adjective
a mental disorder characterized by extreme gloom, feelings of inadequacy, and inability to concentrate
patholan abnormal lowering of the rate of any physiological activity or function, such as respiration
an economic condition characterized by substantial and protracted unemployment, low output and investment, etc; slump
Also called: cyclone, lowmeteorola large body of rotating and rising air below normal atmospheric pressure, which often brings rain
(esp in surveying and astronomy) the angular distance of an object, celestial body, etc, below the horizontal plane through the point of observationCompare elevation (def. 11)
Depression
noun
the Depressionthe worldwide economic depression of the early 1930s, when there was mass unemploymentAlso known as: the Great Depression, the Slump
late 14c. as a term in astronomy, from Old French depression (14c.) or directly from Latin depressionem (nominative depressio), noun of action from past participle stem of deprimere "to press down, depress" (see depress).
Attested from 1650s in the literal sense; meaning "dejection, depression of spirits" is from early 15c. (as a clinical term in psychology, from 1905); meteorological sense is from 1881 (in reference to barometric pressure); meaning "a lowering or reduction in economic activity" was in use by 1826; given a specific application (with capital D-) by 1934 to the one that began worldwide in 1929. For "melancholy, depression" an Old English word was grevoushede.
The act of depressing or the state of being depressed.
A reduction in physiological vigor or activity.
A lowering in amount, degree, or position.
An inward displacement of a body part.
A hollow or sunken area.
The condition of feeling sad or despondent.
A psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, anhedonia, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death.clinical depression
A geographic area, such as a sinkhole or basin, that is lower than its surroundings.
A mood disorder characterized by an inability to experience pleasure, difficulty in concentrating, disturbance of sleep and appetite, and feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness.
A reduction in the activity of a physiological process, such as respiration.
A region of low atmospheric pressure. Low pressure systems result in precipitation, ranging from mild to severe in intensity. See also cyclone.
A period of drastic decline in the national economy, characterized by decreasing business activity, falling prices, and unemployment. The best known of such periods is the Great Depression, which occurred in the 1930s.
