compressibility

[kuhm-pres-uh-bil-i-tee]

noun

plural

compressibilities 

1. the quality or state of being compressible.

2. Physics.,  the reciprocal of the bulk modulus, equal to the ratio of the fractional change in volume to the stress applied to a body.

compressibility

/ kəmˌprɛsɪˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. the ability to be compressed

2. k. physics the reciprocal of the bulk modulus; the ratio of volume strain to stress at constant temperature

Other Word Forms

• noncompressibility noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of compressibility¹

First recorded in 1685–95; compressible ( def. ) + -ity

Example Sentences

Some current models to explain water anomalies cannot adequately reproduce the thermodynamic properties of water, such as its compressibility and heat capacity.

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"Our goal was to create a metafluid that not only possesses these remarkable attributes but also provides a platform for programmable viscosity, compressibility and optical properties."

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The researchers had predicted that liquified material would be easier to squeeze than solid rock, but the “compressibility” they observed in the experiments was even greater than expected.

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His first significant contribution to science concerned the springiness, or compressibility, of air, and involved the most famous experiment of his illustrious career.

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When World War II fighter planes approached supersonic speed during dives, pilots often lost control because of “compressibility” — a phenomenon that buffeted their craft with shock waves and rendered their controls terrifyingly useless.

Read more on Los Angeles Times