n. [ L. comprecatio, fr. comprecari to pray to. See Precarious. ] A praying together. [ Obs. ] Bp. Wilkins. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Comprehended; p. pr. & vb. n. Comprehending. ] [ L. comprehendere, comprehensum; com- + prehendere to grasp, seize; prae before + hendere (used only in comp.). See Get, and cf. Comprise. ] 1. To contain; to embrace; to include; as, the states comprehended in the Austrian Empire. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who hath . . . comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure. Is. xl. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To take in or include by construction or implication; to comprise; to imply. [ 1913 Webster ]

Comprehended all in this one word, Discretion. Hobbes. [ 1913 Webster ]

And if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying. Rom. xiii. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To take into the mind; to grasp with the understanding; to apprehend the meaning of; to understand. [ 1913 Webster ]

At a loss to comprehend the question. W. Irwing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Great things doeth he, which we can not comprehend. Job. xxxvii. 5.

Syn. -- To contain; include; embrace; comprise; inclose; grasp; embody; involve; imply; apprehend; imagine; conceive; understand. See Apprehend. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. able to be understood. Opposite of incomprehensible. [ Narrower terms: clear, distinct ] Also See: clear, explicable, fathomable, intelligible.
Syn. -- comprehensible. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The quality or state of being comprehensible; capability of being understood. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. comprehensibilis: cf. F. compreéhensible. ] 1. Capable of being comprehended, included, or comprised. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lest this part of knowledge should seem to any not comprehensible by axiom, we will set down some heads of it. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Capable of being understood; intelligible; conceivable by the mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

The horizon sets the bounds . . . between what is and what is not comprehensible by us. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being comprehensible; comprehensibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. With great extent of signification; comprehensively. Tillotson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Intelligibly; in a manner to be comprehended or understood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. comprehensio: cf. F. compréhension. ] 1. The act of comprehending, containing, or comprising; inclusion. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the Old Testament there is a close comprehension of the New; in the New, an open discovery of the Old. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is comprehended or inclosed within narrow limits; a summary; an epitome. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Though not a catalogue of fundamentals, yet . . . a comprehension of them. Chillingworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The capacity of the mind to perceive and understand; the power, act, or process of grasping with the intellect; perception; understanding; as, a comprehension of abstract principles. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Logic) The complement of attributes which make up the notion signified by a general term. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Rhet.) A figure by which the name of a whole is put for a part, or that of a part for a whole, or a definite number for an indefinite. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. compréhensif. ] 1. Including much; comprising many things; having a wide scope or a full view. [ 1913 Webster ]

A very comprehensive definition. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

Large and comprehensive idea. Channing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Having the power to comprehend or understand many things. “His comprehensive head.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) Possessing peculiarities that are characteristic of several diverse groups. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The term is applied chiefly to early fossil groups which have a combination of structures that appear in more fully developed or specialized forms in later groups. Synthetic, as used by Agassiz, is nearly synonymous.

Syn. -- Extensive; wide; large; full; compendious. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a comprehensive manner; with great extent of scope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being comprehensive; extensiveness of scope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Compare the beauty and comprehensiveness of legends on ancient coins. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who comprehends; one who has attained to a full knowledge. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

When I shall have dispatched this weary pilgrimage, and from a traveler shall come to be a comprehensor, farewell faith and welcome vision. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Events of centuries . . . compressed within the compass of a single life. D. Webster. [ 1913 Webster ]

The same strength of expression, though more compressed, runs through his historical harangues. Melmoth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To embrace sexually. [ Obs. ] Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Computers) to reduce the space required for storage (of binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a smaller number of bits while preserving the information content. The compressed data is usually decompressed to recover the initial data format before subsequent use. [ PJC ]

Syn. -- To crowd; squeeze; condense; reduce; abridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. compresse. ] (Surg.) A folded piece of cloth, pledget of lint, etc., used to cover the dressing of wounds, and so placed as, by the aid of a bandage, to make due pressure on any part. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Pressed together; compacted; reduced in volume by pressure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Flattened lengthwise. [ 1913 Webster ]

Compressed-air engine, an engine operated by the elastic force of compressed air. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A cake yeast made by filtering the cells from the liquid in which they are grown, subjecting to heavy pressure, and mixing with starch or flour. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. F. compressibilité. ] The quality of being compressible of being compressible; as, the compressibility of elastic fluids. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. compressible. ] Capable of being pressed together or forced into a narrower compass, as an elastic or spongy substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being compressible; compressibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. compressio: cf. F. compression. ] 1. The act of compressing, or state of being compressed. “Compression of thought.” Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Computers) reduction of the space required for storage (of binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a smaller number of bits while preserving the information content. The act of compressing { 3 }. Compression may be lossless compression, in which all of the information in the original data is preserved, and the original data may be recovered in form identical to its original form; or lossy compression, in which some of the information in the original data is lost, and decompression results in a data form slightly different from the original. Lossy compression is used, for example, to compress audio or video recordings, and sometimes images, where the slight differences in the original data and the data recovered after lossy compression may be imperceptable to the human eye or ear. The JPEG format is produced by a lossy compression algorithm. [ PJC ]

. A projectile constructed so as to take the grooves of a rifle by means of a soft copper band firmly attached near its base or, formerly, by means of an envelope of soft metal. In small arms the modern projectile, having a soft core and harder jacket, is subjected to compression throughout the entire cylindrical part. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Cf. F. compressif. ] Compressing, or having power or tendency to compress; as, a compressive force. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] Anything which serves to compress; as: (a) (Anat.) A muscle that compresses certain parts. (b) (Surg.) An instrument for compressing an artery (esp., the femoral artery) or other part. (c) An apparatus for confining or flattening between glass plates an object to be examined with the microscope; -- called also compressorium. (d) (Mach.) A machine for compressing gases; especially, an air compressor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Compression. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. to undergo the process of decompression. [ PJC ]

v. t. to subject to the process of decompression. [ PJC ]

n. 1. the process of experiencing decompression; the act or process of relieving or reducing pressure.
Syn. -- decompression. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. 1. the process of experiencing decompression; the act or process of relieving or reducing pressure.
Syn. -- decompressing. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. the reduction of atmospheric pressure experienced by divers rising from deep water to the surface, thus reducing the concentration of dissolved atmospheric gases in the blood; -- especially applied to a gradual reduction of such pressure. [ PJC ]

3. the process, analogous to sense 2, undergone by divers in a decompression chamber, in which an artificially high atmospheric pressure is gradually lowered to normal pressure. [ PJC ]

4. a return to a normal, more relaxed state after a period of intense stress, psychological pressure, or urgent activity; -- of people. [ PJC ]

5. (Computers) the process of converting digitally encoded data from a more compact (compressed) form to its original, larger size. The process of compression and decompression may completely recover all of the original data (called lossless compression), or may lose some of the original data in order to achieve higher degress of compression (lossy compression). The latter is used especially with images or video data, which may be of very large size relative to text, and for which small changes may be imperceptible to the human eye. The JPEG data compression format is a lossy format. [ PJC ]

a. [ L. incomprehensus. ] Incomprehensible. [ Obs. ] “Incomprehense in virtue.” Marston. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. incompréhensibilité. ] The quality of being incomprehensible, or beyond the reach of human intellect; incomprehensibleness; inconceivability; inexplicability. [ 1913 Webster ]

The constant, universal sense of all antiquity unanimously confessing an incomprehensibility in many of the articles of the Christian faith. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. incomprehensibilis: cf. F. incompréhensible. See In- not, and Comprehensible. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Not capable of being contained within limits. [ 1913 Webster ]

An infinite and incomprehensible substance. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not capable of being comprehended or understood; beyond the reach of the human intellect; inconceivable. [ 1913 Webster ]

And all her numbered stars that seem to roll
Spaces incomprehensible. Milton.

-- In*com`pre*hen"si*ble*ness, n. -- In*com`pre*hen"si*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Lack of comprehension or understanding. “These mazes and incomprehensions.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not comprehensive; not capable of including or of understanding; not extensive; limited. -- In*com`pre*hen"sive*ly, a. Sir W. Hamilton. -- In*com`pre*hen"sive*ness, n. T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. incompressibilité. ] The quality of being incompressible, or incapable of reduction in volume by pressure; -- formerly supposed to be a property of liquids. [ 1913 Webster ]

The incompressibility of water is not absolute. Rees. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. in- not + compressible: cf. F. incompressible. ] Not compressible; incapable of being reduced by force or pressure into a smaller compass or volume; resisting compression; as, many liquids and solids appear to be almost incompressible. -- In`com*press"i*ble*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

n. (Computers) The compression of binary data into a form which, when it is re-expanded, has most, but not all, of the original information. It is used primarily for compression of images and sounds, and is designed to provide a high degree of compression at the cost of a slight loss of data. It is expemplified by the JPEG compression standard. Images compressed by a lossy compression algorithm are re-expanded into an image close, but not identical to the original image; the difference between the original and the reconstructed image may be imperceptible to normal viewing by the eye. [ PJC ]

v. t. To get a wrong idea of or about; to misunderstand. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. ob- + compressed. ] Compressed or flattened antero-posteriorly, or in a way opposite to the usual one. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not fully compressed; partially or somewhat compressed. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st un- + comprehend. ] To fail to comprehend. [ R. ] Daniel. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Unable to comprehend. [ 1913 Webster ]

Narrow-spirited, uncomprehensive zealots. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Incomprehensible. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]