Meaning

noun a state of forcible subjugation

noun (psychiatry) the classical defense mechanism that protects you from impulses or ideas that would cause anxiety by preventing them from becoming conscious

noun the act of repressing; control by holding down

originEtymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English press English repress Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English repression From repress + -ion.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0