depression

depression

See also: Depression and dépression

English

Etymology

From Middle English depression, depressioun, from Old French depression, from Latin dēpressiō.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɹɛʃən/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dəˈpɹɛʃ(ə)n/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʃən
• Hyphenation: de‧pres‧sion

Noun

depression (countable and uncountable, plural depressions)

1. (psychology, usually uncountable) A state of mind producing serious, long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future.

   I used to suffer from depression, but now I'm mostly content with my life.

2. (psychology, countable) A period of low morale or unhappiness (a period of experiencing the above-mentioned state of mind) which lasts longer than several weeks and may include ideation of self-inflicted injury or suicide.
   • 2011 February 28, David J. Miklowitz, The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, Second Edition: What You and Your Family Need to Know, Guilford Press, →ISBN, page 106:

     […] your illness reflects the textbook description of bipolar disorder (euphoric, grandiose, manic highs followed by deep depressions, […]

   • 2014 September 16, Andrew Solomon, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 73:

     His first major breakdown occurred when his son was five years old; he continued to go to pieces periodically, with a particularly deep depression that lasted from the time Bill was in sixth grade until the time he finished junior high […]

   • 2016 January 14, Danuta Wasserman, Suicide: An unnecessary death, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:

     Many alcoholics who die from suicide suffer from deep depressions that are quite frequently protracted, […]

3. (geography) An area that is lower in topography than its surroundings.
   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175:

     It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by.

4. (meteorology) An area of lowered air pressure that generally brings moist weather, sometimes promoting hurricanes and tornadoes.
5. (economics) A period of major economic contraction.
6. (economics, US) Four consecutive quarters of negative, real GDP growth. See NBER.

   The Great Depression was the worst financial event in US history.

7. The act of lowering or pressing something down.

   Depression of the lever starts the machine.

8. (biology, physiology) A lowering, in particular a reduction in a particular biological variable or the function of an organ, in contrast to elevation.

Derived terms

• angle of depression
• anti-depression
• antidepression
• anxio-depression
• double depression
• inbreeding depression
• infranasal depression
• manic depression
• manic-depression
• post-con depression
• postnatal depression
• postpartum depression
• pre-depression
• seasonal depression
• summer depression
• tropical depression
• winter depression

 

Related terms

• depress
• depressant
• depressing
• depressive

Translations

geography: low area

Afrikaans: depressie Arabic: مُنْخَفَض‎ m (munḵafaḍ) Bulgarian: па́дина (bg) f (pádina) Catalan: depressió (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 洼地 (zh) (wādì), 凹地 (zh) (āodì) Czech: prohlubeň f, proláklina (cs) f Danish: sænkning c, fordybning c Finnish: painauma (fi) (small); vajoama (large) French: dépression (fr) Galician: depresión f German: Senke (de) f Greek: λάκκος (el) m (lákkos) Hebrew: שפלה‎ (he) f (shfela) Hungarian: horpadás (hu), mélyföld, depresszió (hu) Indonesian: depresi (id), cekungan Irish: ísleacht f, easca f Italian: depressione (it) f Japanese: 窪地 (ja) (くぼち, kubochi) Korean: 움푹한 지대 Maori: whārua, whāwhārua Norwegian: Bokmål: senkning m or f, depresjon m Nynorsk: senking f, depresjon m Persian: فرورفتگی‎ (fa) (foruraftegi) Polish: depresja (pl) f Portuguese: depressão (pt) f Romanian: depresiune (ro) f Russian: впа́дина (ru) f (vpádina), воро́нка (ru) f (vorónka) Sanskrit: निम्न (sa) n (nimna) Scottish Gaelic: ìsle f Slovak: depresia, preliačina Spanish: depresión (es) f Swedish: depression (sv) c, sänka (sv) c Tagalog: depresyon Thai: ที่ลุ่ม (tîi-lûm) Ukrainian: впа́дина f (vpádyna)

psychology: state of mind

Afrikaans: depressie, gemoedsbekakking Arabic: اِكْتِئَاب‎ (ar) m (iktiʾāb), إِحْبَاط‎ m (ʾiḥbāṭ) Belarusian: дэпрэ́сія f (deprésija) Bulgarian: уни́ние (bg) n (unínie), депре́сия (bg) f (deprésija) Catalan: depressió (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 抑鬱症／抑郁症 (zh) (yìyùzhèng), 抑鬱／抑郁 (zh) (yìyù), 消沉 (zh) (xiāochén), 沮喪／沮丧 (zh) (jǔsàng) Czech: deprese (cs) f Danish: depression (da) c Dutch: depressie (nl) f Esperanto: deprimo, depresio Finnish: masennus (fi), depressio (fi) French: dépression (fr) f German: Depression (de) f Greek: κατάθλιψη (el) f (katáthlipsi) Ancient: δυσθυμία f (dusthumía) Hebrew: דיכאון‎ (he) m (dikaon) Hungarian: levertség (hu), depresszió (hu) Icelandic: þunglyndi (is) n Indonesian: depresi (id) Italian: depressione (it) f Japanese: 憂鬱 (ja) (ゆううつ, yūutsu), 窪み (ja) (くぼみ, kubomi) Khmer: ថ្នាំង (km) (tnaŋ), ភាពដាប (pʰiep daap), ឧបាយាស (km) (u’paayaah) Korean: 우울(憂鬱) (ko) (uul) Latin: depressio f Lithuanian: depresija f Macedonian: депресија f (depresija) Malay: tawar hati, kemurungan (ms) Malayalam: വിഷാദം (viṣādaṃ) Maori: rāwakiwaki, mate pāpōuri Norwegian: Bokmål: depresjon m Nynorsk: depresjon m Persian: افسردگی‎ (fa) (afsordegī) Polish: depresja (pl) Portuguese: depressão (pt) f Romanian: depresiune (ro) f, deprimare (ro) f Russian: депре́ссия (ru) f (depréssija), уны́ние (ru) n (unýnije) Scottish Gaelic: dubhachas m, airteil m, trom-inntinn f, sprochd m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: депресија f Roman: depresija (sh) f Slovak: depresia f Slovene: depresija (sl) f Spanish: depresión (es) f Swedish: depression (sv) c Tagalog: depresyon Thai: ความซึมเศร้า (th) (kwaam-sʉm-sâo), อารมณ์ซึมเศร้า (aa-rom-sʉm-sâo), (medicine) โรคซึมเศร้า (rôok-sʉm-sâo) Tocharian B: silñe Turkish: depresyon (tr), bunalım (tr) Ukrainian: депре́сія f (deprésija) Welsh: iselder ysbryd m, iselder (cy) m Yiddish: דעפרעסיע‎ f (depresie)

psychology: period of unhappiness

Danish: depression (da) c Finnish: depressio (fi), depressiokausi, masennus (fi), masennuskausi Hungarian: (klinikai) depresszió Maori: mate pāpōuri, mate pāpōuri Norwegian: Bokmål: depresjon m Nynorsk: depresjon m Persian: افسردگی‎ (fa) (afsordegī) Romanian: depresiune (ro) f Slovak: depresia Spanish: depresión (es) f Tagalog: depresyon Welsh: iselder ysbryd m, iselder (cy) m

meteorology: area of lowered air pressure

Afrikaans: laagdruk (af) Bulgarian: депресия (bg) f (depresija) Finnish: matalapaine (fi) French: dépression (fr) f Greek: βαθύ βαρομετρικό n (vathý varometrikó), ύφεση (el) f (ýfesi) Hungarian: alacsony nyomású légköri képződmény, alacsony légnyomású légtömeg/terület Italian: depressione (it) f Japanese: 低気圧 (ja) (teikiatsu) Korean: 저기압 (ko) (jeogiap) Norwegian: Bokmål: lavtrykk (no) n, depresjon m Nynorsk: lågtrykk n, depresjon m Persian: کم‌فشار‎ (kamfešār) Portuguese: área de baixa pressão f Romanian: depresiune (ro) f Spanish: área de baja presión f Swedish: lågtryck (sv) n Tagalog: hidiin, depresyon Thai: บริเวณความกดอากาศต่ำ (bò-rí-ween-kwaam-gòt-aa-gàat-dtàm), หย่อมความกดอากาศต่ำ (yɔ̀m-kwaam-gòt-aa-gàat-dtàm)

economics: period of major economic contraction

Afrikaans: depressie Albanian: please add this translation if you can Arabic: كَسَاد‎ m (kasād) Armenian: please add this translation if you can Belarusian: дэпрэ́сія f (deprésija) Bulgarian: икономическа криза f (ikonomičeska kriza) Catalan: depressió (ca) f Chinese: Mandarin: 蕭條／萧条 (zh) (xiāotiáo) Czech: deprese (cs) f Danish: nedgangstid c, nedgangstid c, lavkonjunktur c Esperanto: please add this translation if you can Estonian: please add this translation if you can Finnish: lama (fi), lamakausi French: dépression (fr) f German: Depression (de) f, Abschwung (de) m Greek: ύφεση (el) f (ýfesi) Hebrew: שפל‎ (he) m (shefel) Hindi: मंदी (hi) f (mandī) Hungarian: hanyatlás (hu) Icelandic: Kreppa f Indonesian: depresi (id) Italian: depressione (it) f Japanese: 不振 (ja) (ふしん, fushin), 不況 (ja) (ふきょう, fukyō) Korean: 불경기 (ko) (bulgyeonggi) Latvian: please add this translation if you can Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can Maori: wā o te korekore, paheketanga ohaoha Norwegian: Bokmål: nedgangstid m or f, depresjon m Nynorsk: nedgangstid f, depresjon m Persian: رکود‎ (fa) (rokūd), کسادی‎ (fa) (kesādī) Polish: depresja (pl) f Portuguese: depressão (pt) f, crise (pt) f Romanian: depresiune (ro) f Russian: депре́ссия (ru) f (depréssija) Slovak: depresia, recesia Spanish: depresión (es) f Swedish: depression (sv) c Tagalog: depresyon Thai: ภาวะเศรษฐกิจตกต่ำ (paa-wá-sèet-thà-gìt-dtòk-dtàm) Turkish: please add this translation if you can Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can Welsh: dirwasgiad

economics: four consecutive quarters of negative real GDP development

Finnish: lama (fi) Hungarian: recesszió (hu), gazdasági válság Persian: رکود‎ (fa) (rokūd) Portuguese: depressão (pt) f

reduction in a biological variable

Finnish: alenema (fi) French: dépression (fr) Italian: depressione (it) f Portuguese: depressão (pt) Slovak: útlm, tlmenie, pokles Spanish: depresión (es) f

See also

• downturn

References

• depression at OneLook Dictionary Search
• depression in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• depression in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

Further reading

• National Bureau of Economic Research on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• opensiders, personised, sideperson

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Danish

Noun

depression c (singular definite depressionen, plural indefinite depressioner)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Declension

Declension of depression

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	depression	depressionen	depressioner	depressionerne
genitive	depressions	depressionens	depressioners	depressionernes

Further reading

• “depression” in Den Danske Ordbog

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Finnish

Noun

depression

1. genitive singular of depressio

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

depression c

1. depression (all meanings).

Declension

Declension of depression
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	depression	depressionen	depressioner	depressionerna
Genitive	depressions	depressionens	depressioners	depressionernas