n.
Pronunciation: k ə m- ' pres
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin compressare to press hard, frequentative of Latin comprimere to compress, from com- + premere to press ― more at PRESS
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to press or squeeze together
2 : to reduce in size, quantity, or volume as if by squeezing < compress a computer file>
intransitive verb : to undergo compression
synonyms see CONTRACT