com-

with, together; sometimes thoroughly

Forms

com-
con- — Used before many consonants in Latin.
col- — Used before l in Latin.
cor- — Used before r in Latin.
co- — Shortened especially before vowels.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *kom, ‘with; beside.’

Note

In some formations, togetherness shades into completeness; the prefix’s exact contribution can be uncertain.

110 / 265

verb

compress

kuhm-PRESS/kəmˈpres/

To reduce the space occupied by something.

The hands compress the bulky pillow to fit it into the travel bag.

Two hands pressing a bulky soft pillow into a small open travel bag, compressed fabric visibly squeezed inward.

Etymology

comLatinwith, together; sometimes thoroughly

+pressLatinpress

The pieces give the literal image “press together.” Compress retains that physical sense: pressing or packing something together forces it into a smaller space.

In context

Computer Science E-151:51

what does it mean to compress a file make it yeah to make it smaller

Lecture 7: Multimedia - CSCI E-1 2006 - Harvard Extension School

More examples

I compress my sleeping bag to fit it into my backpack.
The piston compresses the air inside the cylinder.
She compressed the files to save storage space.

Forms

compress · compresses · compressed · compressing

compression noun — The process of making something occupy less space.

compressible adjective — Able to be pressed into less space.

Similar words

compact: Emphasizes packing material tightly into a smaller space.
squeeze: Emphasizes inward pressure, without necessarily producing a lasting reduction.