compressed - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

com·pressed

Audio Help [kuh

m-prest] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	pressed into less space; condensed: compressed gases.

2.	pressed together: compressed lips.

3.	flattened by or as if by pressure: compressed wallboard.

4.	Zoology, Botany. flattened laterally.

[Origin: 1325–75; ME; see compress, -ed²

]

—Related forms

com·press·ed·ly, adverb

—Antonyms 1. expanded.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
compressed

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

com·press Audio Help (kəm-prěs') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. com·pressed, com·press·ing, com·press·es

To press together: compressed her lips.
To make more compact by or as if by pressing.
Computer Science To transform (data) to minimize the space required for storage or transmission: compressed the file so that it could be downloaded efficiently.

n. (kŏm'prěs')

Medicine A soft pad of gauze or other material applied with pressure to a part of the body to control hemorrhage or to supply heat, cold, moisture, or medication to alleviate pain or reduce infection.
A machine for compressing material.

[Middle English compressen, from Old French compresser, from Late Latin compressāre, frequentative of Latin comprimere : com-, com- + premere, to press; see per-⁴ in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

com·pressed Audio Help (kəm-prěst') Pronunciation Key
adj.

Pressed together or into less volume or space.
Biology Flattened, especially laterally or lengthwise, as certain leafstalks or the bodies of many fishes.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

compressed
adjective
1.	pressed tightly together; "with lips compressed"
2.	reduced in volume by pressure; "compressed air"
3.	flattened laterally along the whole length (e.g., certain leafstalks or flatfishes)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Compressed

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.

Events of centuries . . . compressed within the compass of a single life. --D. Webster.

The same strength of expression, though more compressed, runs through his historical harangues. --Melmoth.

2. To embrace sexually. [Obs.] --Pope.

Syn: To crowd; squeeze; condense; reduce; abridge.

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