Kept down by harsh authority or cruel treatment; subjected to unjust or burdensome conditions.
From Latin "opprimere" combining "ob-" (against) and "premere" (to press). The word originally meant literally to press down, then evolved to mean social and political suppression.
The word 'oppression' comes from the physical image of pressing down on someone—and neuroscience shows that chronic oppression literally changes brain chemistry and stress responses, proving the metaphor is physiologically real!
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