compression

The definition of compression is the action or state of being squished down or made smaller or more pressed together.

(noun)

When a pile of material is squished together and made smaller and more dense, this is an example of compression.

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See compression in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

  1. a compressing or being compressed
  2. Mech. the compressing of the air-fuel mixture in an internal-combustion engine just before ignition

Origin: ME < OFr < L compressio

See compression in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. a. The act or process of compressing.
    b. The state of being compressed.
  2. a. The process by which the working substance in a heat engine, such as the vapor mixture in the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, is compressed.
    b. The engine cycle during which this process occurs.
  3. Computer Science The process by which data is compressed into a form that minimizes the space required to store or transmit it.

Related Forms:

  • com·presˈsion·al adjective

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