compression
[kuh m-presh-uh n]
- the act of compressing.
- the state of being compressed.
- the effect, result, or consequence of being compressed.
- (in internal-combustion engines) the reduction in volume and increase of pressure of the air or combustible mixture in the cylinder prior to ignition, produced by the motion of the piston toward the cylinder head after intake.
- Also called data compression. Computers. reduction of the storage space required for data by changing its format.
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Also com·pres·sure [kuh m-presh-er] /kəmˈprɛʃ ər/ (for defs 1, 2).
Origin of compression
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for compression
Contemporary Examples
A short-story writer (his “The Evils of Spain” could be read along with this book), Pritchett was a master of compression.
Allen Guelzo's new history of the civil war, Fateful Lightning, is a masterpiece of compression.
He insisted they were just the result of “literary license” and “compression,” suggesting Relin was complicit.
Historical Examples
The necessary heat in this case is produced by the compression of air.
The Story of a Tinder-boxCharles Meymott Tidy
That,” said Fred Sanders, with a compression of the lips, “has settled it forever.
Adrift on the PacificEdward S. Ellis
The resistance of a body to compression does not depend upon its hardness.
Practical Mechanics for BoysJ. S. Zerbe
A compression spring of this kind has a very wide range of movement.
Practical Mechanics for BoysJ. S. Zerbe
The progress must be slower, if anything, and with the compression working as a brake.
The White DesertCourtney Ryley Cooper
compression
- Also called: compressure (kəmˈprɛʃə) the act of compressing or the condition of being compressed
- an increase in pressure of the charge in an engine or compressor obtained by reducing its volume
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for compression
n.
c.1400, from Middle French compression (14c.), from Latin compressionem (nominative compressio) "a pressing together," noun of action from past participle stem of comprimere (see compress (v.)). Related: Compressional. Compressional wave is attested from 1887.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
compression
(kəm-prĕsh′ən)- condensation
- The state of being compressed.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
compression
[kəm-prĕsh′ən]
- A force that tends to shorten or squeeze something, decreasing its volume.
- The degree to which a substance has decreased in size (in volume, length, or some other dimension) after being or while being subject to stress. See also strain.
- The re-encoding of data (usually the binary data used by computers) into a form that uses fewer bits of information than the original data. Compression is often used to speed the transmission of data such as text or visual images, or to minimize the memory resources needed to store such data.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
compression
See data compression.
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.