compression

(kəm-prĕshˈən)

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