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1. The French Press: In the 15th century an exciting new machine appeared. It used force to apply ink to paper and was named after the process itself: press. One specific product of this machine, the newspaper, then took its name from the machine. When radio and television emerged, the word for newspapers was applied to them. Thus the verb for “forcing ink onto paper” became a noun meaning “all journalists”.
Interestingly, the word never came to mean the actual physical product, so you can’t go to a newsstand and ask for “a press”. Well, you can, but you’d better be prepared for some strange looks. Don’t even try asking for “a French press” in most neighborhoods.
Both “print” and “press” come from the same Latin root; premere, to press. So a printing press could be called a press press, somewhat like pizza pie: pizza being an Italian word for pie. The fact that all these words begin with the letter “P” is just a coincidence–I hope.
2. The French Press: A device, ostensibly from France, which makes coffee by forcing roasted coffee grounds through hot water was named after the process itself: press. The product of the machine, a beverage, then took the name of the device. If you ask for a French press in a cafe, you’ll receive a cup of coffee. If you ask for it in a kitchen supply store, you’ll get a device for brewing coffee.
