Dictionary

compress en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /kəmˈpɹɛs/
• kəmprĕs'
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English compressen, from Old French compresser, from Late Latin compressare (“to press hard/together”), from Latin compressus, the past participle of comprimō (“to compress”), itself from com- (“together”) + premō (“press”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.
   • events of centuries […] compressed within the compass of a single life 1825 June 17, Daniel Webster, Speech on the laying of the Corner Stone of the Bunker Hill Monument:
   • The same strength of expression, though more compressed, runs through his historical harangues. 1810, William Melmoth, transl., Letters of Pliny:
   • The force required to compress a spring varies linearly with the displacement.
2. (intransitive) To be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format.
   • Our new model compresses easily, ideal for storage and travel
3. (transitive) To condense into a more economic, easier format.
   • This chart compresses the entire audit report into a few lines on a single diagram.
4. (transitive) To abridge.
   • If you try to compress the entire book into a three-sentence summary, you will lose a lot of information.
5. (transitive) To make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.
   • The command-line tool gzip allows you to compress files in a few different ways. First, gzip can compress results from standard input. 2015, Vince Buffalo, Bioinformatics Data Skills […] , O'Reilly, →ISBN:
6. (transitive) To make a pulse or particle bunch shorter by applying dispersion to it.
   • Diffraction gratings are by far the most common elements used to stretch and compress pulses because of their substantial angular dispersion, […] 2019, B. Webb et al., “Simulation of grating compressor misalignment tolerances and mitigation strategies for chirped-pulse–amplification systems of varying bandwidths and beam sizes”, in Applied Optics, volume 58, number 2, pages 234-243:
7. (obsolete) To embrace sexually.
   • This nymph compreſs'd by him vvho rules the day, / VVhom Delphi and the Delian iſle obey, / Andræmon lov'd; and, bleſs'd in all thoſe charms / That pleas'd a God, ſucceeded to her arms. 1717, Alexander Pope, “The Fable of Dryope. From the Ninth Book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, page 295:

Forms

Antonyms

unzip · decompress · decompact · stretch · decompactify · expand · expand · expand · decontract · densen · uncompress · lengthen · uncompress · decompress

Deriveds

compressed · compressibility · precompress · compressed air · overcompress · compressingly · recompress · supercompress · compressive strength · compressor · decompress · compressedly · compressive · compression · compressure · compressible

Hyponyms

wring · supercompress · wad · crunch · recompact · tamp down · wring out · overcompress · recompress · crush

Relateds

thicken · compression

Synonyms

densitize · abridge · squash · squeeze · abridge · compactify · scrunch · saw off · condense · smush · chop down · abbreviate · reduce in length · compact · trim · chop off · truncate · prune · thring · pack · lop off · press · make shorter · zip · curt · thrutch · squash · cut short · squoosh · truncate · shorten · contract · pack · pare · astringe · condense · condense · squeeze · condense · mash · shorten · press · compact · compress · telescope · squish · curtail

Translations (73)

mi whakarāpopoto (to condense) · fi pusertaa (to press together into a smaller space) · my သိပ် (to press together into a smaller space) · mi kurutē (to press together into a smaller space) · mr आकुंचन (to press together into a smaller space) · ru сжима́ть (to press together into a smaller space) · ru сжима́ться (to be pressed together) · eo densigi (to encode digital information into less bits) · ja 圧縮する (to press together into a smaller space) · sv komprimera (to press together into a smaller space) · fi puristua (to be pressed together) · eo kunpremi (to press together into a smaller space) · bg сбивам (to press together into a smaller space) · is þjappa (to encode digital information into less bits) · fi puristaa (to press together into a smaller space) · hy ճզմել (to press together into a smaller space) · ru сда́вливать (to press together into a smaller space) · mi whakawhāiti (to press together into a smaller space) · cmn 壓縮 /压缩 (to encode digital information into less bits) · fi kompressoitua (to be pressed together) · ga dlúthaigh (to be pressed together) · la comprimō (to press together into a smaller space) · el συμπιέζω (to press together into a smaller space) · nl samendrukken (to press together into a smaller space) · ru уплотня́ть (to condense) · fi tiivistää (to encode digital information into less bits) · nl comprimeren (to be pressed together) · nl samenvatten (to condense) · nl verdichten (to condense) · hy սեղմել (to press together into a smaller space) · fi kompressoida (to press together into a smaller space) · nl verdichten (to press together into a smaller space) · cs komprimovat (to encode digital information into less bits) · de komprimieren (to encode digital information into less bits) · sv packa (to press together into a smaller space) · eo kunpremi (to encode digital information into less bits) · cy cywasgu (to press together into a smaller space) · bg сбивам (to condense) · ru уплотни́ть (to condense) · bg сбивам се (to be pressed together) · ru сжать (to press together into a smaller space) · fr compresser (to encode digital information into less bits) · cmn 壓縮 /压缩 (to press together into a smaller space) · bg сгъстявам (to press together into a smaller space) · pt comprimir (to press together into a smaller space) · ru сдави́ть (to press together into a smaller space) · mr दाबणे (to press together into a smaller space) · ja 要約する (to condense) · fi tiivistää (to condense) · es comprimir (to encode digital information into less bits) · it comprimere (to press together into a smaller space) · ca comprimir (to press together into a smaller space) · fi pusertua (to be pressed together) · es comprimirse (to be pressed together) · eo kunpremiĝi (to be pressed together) · de komprimieren (to condense) · fr comprimer (to press together into a smaller space) · nl comprimeren (to encode digital information into less bits) · ru сжа́ться (to be pressed together) · pt comprimir (to encode digital information into less bits) · nl krimpen (to be pressed together) · la stringō (to press together into a smaller space) · nl comprimeren (to condense) · cy gwasgu (to press together into a smaller space) · ga dlúthaigh (to press together into a smaller space) · es comprimir (to press together into a smaller space) · sco pran (to press together into a smaller space) · de komprimieren (to press together into a smaller space) · ja 圧縮する (to encode digital information into less bits) · nl comprimeren (to press together into a smaller space) · bg компримирам (to encode digital information into less bits) · bg сгъстявам се (to be pressed together) · fi pakata (to encode digital information into less bits)

compress en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈkɒmpɹɛs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• kŏm'prĕs (US)
• (US) audio
• /ˈkɑmpɹɛs/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle French compresse, from compresse (“to compress”), from Late Latin compressare (“to press hard/together”), from Latin compressus, the past participle of comprimō (“to compress”), itself from com- (“together”) + premō (“press”).

Meanings

1. A multiply folded piece of cloth, a pouch of ice, etc., used to apply to a patient's skin, cover the dressing of wounds, and placed with the aid of a bandage to apply pressure on an injury.
   • He held a cold compress over the sprain.
2. A machine for compressing.

Forms

Relateds

compression

Translations (32)

oc compressa (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · fi haudesidos (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · et kompress (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · cmn 熱敷 /热敷 (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · cmn 冷敷 (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · ja 湿布 (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · fr compresse (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · ro compresă (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · fi kompressi (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · ru компре́сс (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · cmn 濕布 /湿布 (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · nn kompress (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · fi haude (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · hu borogatás (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · el κομπρέσα (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · grc σπληνίον (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · da kompres (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · pt compressa (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · pl okład (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · txb tsatsāpar (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · nl kompres (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · it compressa (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · de Kompresse (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · nb kompress (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · id kompres (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · et side (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · cs kompres (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · la fōmentum (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · ca compresa (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · es compresa (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · et mähis (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds) · bg компре́с (cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds)