The Italian dictionary "Garzanti"
[6] (a respected Italian dictionary) clearly states that the origin of the word is from the fact that is prepared on the spot:
 
Espresso: si dice di cibo o bevanda che viene preparato al momento, su richiesta del cliente: piatto espresso; caffè espresso 
Espresso: said of a food or beverage which is prepared in the moment, upon request from the customer, e.g. dish espresso, caffè espresso 
The Italian verb "esprimere" of which "espresso" is the past participle, derived from the Latin "ex-premere" (pressed-out) does not have that meaning, Espresso in Italian is also often used with the meaning of fast; examples are "treno espresso" (express train), "espresso" is also the name of a faster delivery type mailing for letters. 
Considering that the espresso machine was invented by Gaggia in 1938 and became popular in Milan after WW II, esprimere is still used in Italian to mean pressed or under pressure.
			
		
 
	
Bookmarks