Compressor

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A mechanical device that raises gas pressure by minimizing its volume
2. An apparatus that condenses air or gas for varied uses by decreasing its space
3. A device designed to reduce the volume of gas, thereby increasing its pressure for practical applications

Etymology: The "-or" in "compressor" is an agent suffix, the same ending found in words like "actor" and "operator," and it marks something that performs an action. A compressor is therefore literally a thing that compresses, and the base verb "compress" comes from Latin "compressare," a frequentative of "comprimere," meaning "to press together." English took the verb first, using it for pressing things into a smaller space long before any machine existed to do the job. The noun was formed from that verb and suffix, either in English or through a New Latin coinage, so the word is a plain technical formation rather than a story with a single inventor. Its meaning stayed close to the literal sense: any device that reduces the volume of a gas, which is why the word now covers everything from car engines to refrigerators.

Synonyms: compressor, press, squeezer, compactor, chamber