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compression

[kuh m-presh-uh n]
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noun
  1. the act of compressing.
  2. the state of being compressed.
  3. the effect, result, or consequence of being compressed.
  4. (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.
  5. 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

1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin compressiōn- (stem of compressiō), equivalent to compress(us) past participle of comprimere to press together (see com-, press1) + -iōn- -ion
Related formscom·pres·sion·al, adjectivenon·com·pres·sion, nouno·ver·com·pres·sion, nounpre·com·pres·sion, nounsu·per·com·pres·sion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for data compression

compression

noun
  1. Also called: compressure (kəmˈprɛʃə) the act of compressing or the condition of being compressed
  2. 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 data compression

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
data compression in Medicine

compression

(kəm-prĕsh′ən)
n.
  1. condensation
  2. 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.
data compression in Science

compression

[kəm-prĕsh′ən]
  1. A force that tends to shorten or squeeze something, decreasing its volume.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
data compression in Culture

data compression

A technique in information technology by which the same amount of data is transmitted by using a smaller number of bits; for example, by replacing a string of ten repeated digits with a command to repeat the digit ten times.

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Note

Data compression is essential in technologies that transmit things like digitized movies in real time.

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.