comprimere

Comprimere is an Italian verb meaning to press together or to reduce the size or volume of something. It is used in various contexts, including physics, engineering, computing, and everyday language, to denote making objects smaller or to make data more compact. The related noun is compressione, and the past participle commonly appears as compresso, as in un file compresso.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin compressus, formed from the prefix com- (together) and premere (to press).

Usage: In computing, comprimere refers to data compression, such as reducing a file’s size to save storage or bandwidth; expressions like “comprimere un file” are common, and “file compresso” denotes a compressed file. In science and engineering, it describes reducing volume by applying pressure, for example when a gas is compressed in a piston. In everyday language, it can simply mean squeezing an object to fit into a smaller space. In pharmacology, the related noun compressa denotes a tablet, derived from the same root, but the verb comprimere is not used to describe pills.

See also: compressione, compressione dati, compressore. Related concepts include data compression technologies, file archiving, and physical compression in mechanics and thermodynamics.