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re·pous·sé

(rə-p-sā)

adj.

1. Shaped or decorated with patterns in relief formed by hammering and pressing on the reverse side. Used especially of metal.

2. Raised in relief.

1. A design in relief.

2. The technique of hammering and pressing designs in relief.

[French, past participle of repousser, to push back, from Old French : re-, re- + pousser, to push (from Latin pulsāre, to beat, frequentative of pellere, to push; see REPEL).]

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repoussé

pattern on a sterling silver knife handle

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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