Press n. Zool. An East Indian insectivore (Tupaia ferruginea). It is arboreal in its habits, and has a bushy tail. The fur is soft, and varies from rusty red to maroon and to brownish black.
Press, v. t. To force into service, particularly into naval service; to impress.
To peaceful peasant to the wars is pressed. --Dryden.
Press, n. A commission to force men into public service, particularly into the navy.
I have misused the king's press. --Shak.
Press gang, or Pressgang, a detachment of seamen under the command of an officer empowered to force men into the naval service. See Impress gang, under Impress.
Press money, money paid to a man enlisted into public service. See Prest money, under Prest, a.
1. To urge, or act upon, with force, as weight; to act upon by pushing or thrusting, in distinction from pulling; to crowd or compel by a gradual and continued exertion; to bear upon; to squeeze; to compress; as, we press the ground with the feet when we walk; we press the couch on which we repose; we press substances with the hands, fingers, or arms; we are pressed in a crowd.
Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together. --Luke vi. 38.
She tempers dulcet creams. --Milton.
And I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. --Gen. xl. 11.
And pressed Palemon closer in her arms. --Pope.
Press not a falling man too far. --Shak.
Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. --Acts xviii. 5.
He pressed a letter upon me within this hour. --Dryden.
Be sure to press upon him every motive. --Addison.
The posts . . . went cut, being hastened and pressed on, by the king's commandment. --Esther viii. 14.
Note: ☞ Press differs from drive and strike in usually denoting a slow or continued application of force; whereas drive and strike denote a sudden impulse of force.
1. To exert pressure; to bear heavily; to push, crowd, or urge with steady force.
They pressed upon him for to touch him. --Mark iii. 10.
1. An apparatus or machine by which any substance or body is pressed, squeezed, stamped, or shaped, or by which an impression of a body is taken; sometimes, the place or building containing a press or presses.
Note: ☞ Presses are differently constructed for various purposes in the arts, their specific uses being commonly designated; as, a cotton press, a wine press, a cider press, a copying press, etc. See Drill press.
In their throng and press to that last hold. --Shak.
7. A multitude of individuals crowded together; ░ crowd of single things; a throng.
They could not come nigh unto him for the press. --Mark ii. 4.
Cylinder press, a printing press in which the impression is produced by a revolving cylinder under which the form passes; also, one in which the form of type or plates is curved around a cylinder, instead of resting on a flat bed.
Hydrostatic press. See under Hydrostatic.
Liberty of the press, the free right of publishing books, pamphlets, or papers, without previous restraint or censorship, subject only to punishment for libelous, seditious, or morally pernicious matters.
Press bed, a bed that may be folded, and inclosed, in a press or closet. --Boswell.
Press of sail, Naut., as much sail as the state of the wind will permit.
boards"; "press your thumb on this spot"
6: crowd closely; "The crowds pressed along the street"
7: create by pressing; "Press little holes into the soft clay"
8: be urgent; "This is a pressing problem"
baby; "`Now push hard,' said the doctor to the woman"