compressibility

American  

[kuhm-pres-uh-bil-i-tee] / kəmˌprɛs əˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

compressibilities plural

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.

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compressibility British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncompressibility
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• compressibilities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of compressibility

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compressibility compressibilities

Other properties, including compressibility and heat capacity, also behave in increasingly unusual ways as the temperature decreases.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2024

Water is unlike most other liquids on Earth: it has at least 66 weird properties, including high surface tension, high heat capacity, high melting and boiling points and low compressibility.

From Nature ● Apr. 7, 2020

This behavior is reflected by the “dips” in several of the compressibility curves shown in Figure 9.35.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

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

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

The reason for these different compressibilities is that atoms and molecules are separated by large empty spaces in gases but packed close together in liquids and solids.

From Textbooks ● Aug. 12, 2015