[di-presh-uh
n] 
| 1. | the act of depressing. |
| 2. | the state of being depressed. |
| 3. | a depressed or sunken place or part; an area lower than the surrounding surface. |
| 4. | sadness; gloom; dejection. |
| 5. | Psychiatry. a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason. Compare clinical depression. |
| 6. | dullness or inactivity, as of trade. |
| 7. | Economics. a period during which business, employment, and stock-market values decline severely or remain at a very low level of activity. |
| 8. | the Depression. Great Depression. |
| 9. | Pathology. a low state of vital powers or functional activity. |
| 10. | Astronomy. the angular distance of a celestial body below the horizon; negative altitude. |
| 11. | Surveying. the angle between the line from an observer or instrument to an object below either of them and a horizontal line. |
| 12. | Physical Geography. an area completely or mostly surrounded by higher land, ordinarily having interior drainage and not conforming to the valley of a single stream. |
| 13. | Meteorology. an area of low atmospheric pressure. |
A period of drastic decline in the national economy, characterized by decreasing business activity, falling prices, and unemployment. The best known of such periods is the Great Depression, which occurred in the 1930s.
depression de·pres·sion (dĭ-prěsh'ən)
n.
The act of depressing or the state of being depressed.
A reduction in physiological vigor or activity.
A lowering in amount, degree, or position.
An inward displacement of a body part.
A hollow or sunken area.
The condition of feeling sad or despondent.
A psychotic or neurotic condition characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, and feelings of extreme sadness, dejection, and hopelessness.
depression (dĭ-prěsh'ən) Pronunciation Key
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