An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The force per unit area.

Etymology (EN): M.E., from O.Fr. pressure, from L. pressura “action of pressing,” from pressus, p.p. of premere “to press, compress.”

Etymology (PE): Fešâr “squeezing, constriction, compression,” verb fešordan, fešârdan “to press, squeeze;” phonetic variants Lori xošâr, Aftari xešâr, Qazvini, Qomi xošâl; cf. Khotanese ssarr- “to exhilarate;” loaned in Arm. ôšarak, in Ar. afšaraj “juice.”