compress
compress Lexical Profile
compress Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To flatten, squeeze, or press something into a smaller space or volume.
"Pistons inside the engine cylinder compress the air-fuel mixture before ignition."
To reduce the storage size of digital data or files by encoding information using fewer bits (in computing).
"You should compress the high-resolution images into a single archive before emailing them."
To express or condense information, ideas, or events in a shorter, more concise form or within a briefer period of time.
"The lecturer managed to compress three centuries of European history into a single one-hour seminar."
• noun
A pad of lint, folded cloth, or other absorbent material pressed onto a part of the body to relieve inflammation, reduce swelling, or stop bleeding, often moistened with hot or cold water or medication.
"The nurse applied a cold compress to the patient's forehead to help bring down the fever."
Word Nuance & Usage
Like many two-syllable English heteronyms, "compress" shifts stress depending on its part of speech: the verb is stressed on the second syllable (kuhm-PRES), whereas the medical noun is stressed on the first syllable (KOM-pres).
• Rhymes for compress
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old French compresser, ultimately derived from Late Latin compressare, a frequentative of Latin comprimere ("to press together"), formed from com- ("together") and premere ("to press").