Origin: Latin suffix -sion
Compression has 5 different meanings across 1 category:
an increase in the density of something
"The sudden compression of the gas made it much hotter and denser inside the piston."
the process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together
"the contraction of a gas on cooling"
encoding information while reducing the bandwidth or bits required
"The new streaming service uses advanced compression to deliver high-definition video even on slow mobile connections."
applying pressure
"The mechanic applied heavy compression to the spring until it snapped back into place."
An increase in density; the act of compressing, or the state of being compressed; compaction.
"The heavy traffic caused a massive compression of commuters into the narrow subway cars during rush hour."
In plain English: Compression is when you push something together to make it smaller or tighter.
"The compression of the spring released the toy so it could jump higher."
Usage: Use compression to describe the physical act of making something smaller or more compact by reducing its volume, such as compressing a spring or data files. It refers specifically to the process or result of squeezing matter together rather than general pressure applied to an object.
The word entered English from Middle French and originally meant an act of pressing together or squeezing. It derives directly from the Latin term compressiō, which carried this same sense of being compressed.