Tihendumist

Tihendumist is an Estonian noun that denotes the process or outcome of increasing density or making something more compact. It is formed from the verb tihendada (to compress, to densify) with the noun-forming suffix -mine, giving rise to the base concept tihendumine, with tihendumist appearing in the genitive or partitive case forms. The term is used primarily in technical and scientific language to describe densification or compaction.

In scientific and engineering contexts, tihendumist describes the reduction of porosity and the increase of bulk density that occurs when a material is subjected to pressure, mechanical compaction, or heat treatment. In materials science and powder metallurgy, densification through pressing and subsequent processing is a common usage of the concept. In geotechnical and civil engineering, soil tihendumist refers to consolidation or compaction of soils under loads, which affects strength and permeability.

In everyday language, the root idea of tihendumist can be extended metaphorically to any process that increases density or concentration, such as a crowding of objects or information. However, in data-related contexts the related term andmete tihendamine is more commonly used to refer to data compression, while tihendumist remains more typical of physical or material densification.

Etymologically, tihendumist derives from the Estonian root tihend- (dense, compact) and the noun-forming suffix -mine, with the ending -ist marking the genitive or partitive depending on sentence structure. Related terms include tihendus (compression or densification) and tihendumine (the process of densification). See also density, compression, and consolidation for broader connections.