from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Compress \Com*press"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Compressed}; p. pr &
vb. n. {Compressing}.] [L. compressus, p. p. of comprimere to
compress: com- + premere to press. See Press.]
1. To press or squeeze together; to force into a narrower
compass; to reduce the volume of by pressure; to compact;
to condense; as, to compress air or water.
[1913 Webster]
Events of centuries . . . compressed within the
compass of a single life. --D. Webster.
[1913 Webster]
The same strength of expression, though more
compressed, runs through his historical harangues.
--Melmoth.
[1913 Webster]
2. To embrace sexually. [Obs.] --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
3. (Computers) to reduce the space required for storage (of
binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a
smaller number of bits while preserving the information
content. The compressed data is usually decompressed to
recover the initial data format before subsequent use.
[PJC]
Syn: To crowd; squeeze; condense; reduce; abridge.
[1913 Webster]