Pre-depression

noun
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.
noun
1.
the act of depressing or state of being depressed
2.
a depressed or sunken place or area
3.
a mental disorder characterized by extreme gloom, feelings of inadequacy, and inability to concentrate
4.
(pathol) an abnormal lowering of the rate of any physiological activity or function, such as respiration
5.
an economic condition characterized by substantial and protracted unemployment, low output and investment, etc; slump
6.
(meteorol) Also called cyclone, low. a large body of rotating and rising air below normal atmospheric pressure, which often brings rain
7.
(esp in surveying and astronomy) the angular distance of an object, celestial body, etc, below the horizontal plane through the point of observation Compare elevation (sense 11)
noun
1.
the Depression, the worldwide economic depression of the early 1930s, when there was mass unemployment Also known as the Great Depression, the Slump

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)

A geographic area, such as a sinkhole or basin, that is lower than its surroundings.

A mood disorder characterized by an inability to experience pleasure, difficulty in concentrating, disturbance of sleep and appetite, and feelings of sadness, guilt, and helplessness.

A reduction in the activity of a physiological process, such as respiration.

A region of low atmospheric pressure. Low pressure systems result in precipitation, ranging from mild to severe in intensity. See also cyclone.

depression definition

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.