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Compress vs Distill - What's the difference?

compress | distill |

In transitive terms the difference between compress and distill

is that compress is to abridge while distill is to extract the essence of; concentrate; purify.

In intransitive terms the difference between compress and distill

is that compress is to be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format while distill is to drip or be wet with.

As a noun compress

is (folded_cloth) A multiply folded piece of cloth, a pouch of ice etc., used to apply to a patient's skin, cover the dressing of wounds, and placed with the aid of a bandage to apply pressure on an injury.

compress

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) compresser, from compressare 'to press hard/together', from compressus, the past participle of comprimere 'to compress', itself from com- 'together' + premere 'to press'

Verb

  • To make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.
  • The force required to compress a spring varies linearly with the displacement.
  • * D. Webster
  • events of centuries compressed within the compass of a single life
  • * Melmoth
  • The same strength of expression, though more compressed , runs through his historical harangues.
  • To be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format.
  • ''Our new model compresses easily, ideal for storage and travel
  • To condense into a more economic, easier format.
  • This chart compresses the entire audit report into a few lines on a single diagram.
  • To abridge.
  • If you try to compress the entire book into a three-sentence summary, you will lose a lot of information.
  • (technology) To make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.
  • (obsolete) To embrace sexually.
  • (Alexander Pope)
    Synonyms
    * (press together ): compact, condense, pack, press, squash, squeeze * (be pressed together ): contract * (condense, abridge ): abridge, condense, shorten, truncate
    Antonyms
    * (press together ): expand * (be pressed together ): decontract * (condense, abridge ): expand, lengthen * (make computing data smaller ): uncompress
    Derived terms
    * compressed * compressed air * compressedly * compressibility * compressible * compression * compressive * compressive strength * compressor * decompress

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) compresse, from compresser 'to compress', from Late (etyl) compressare 'to press hard/together', from compressus, the past participle of comprimere 'to compress', itself from com- 'together' + premere 'to press'

    Noun

    (es)
  • A multiply folded piece of cloth, a pouch of ice etc., used to apply to a patient's skin, cover the dressing of wounds, and placed with the aid of a bandage to apply pressure on an injury.
  • He held a cold compress over the sprain.
  • A machine for compressing
  • distill

    English

    Alternative forms

    * distil (Commonwealth)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (lb) To subject a substance to distillation.
  • (lb) To undergo or be produced by distillation.
  • (lb) To make by means of distillation, especially whisky.
  • (lb) To exude in small drops.
  • :
  • (lb) To impart in small quantities.
  • (lb) To extract the essence of; concentrate; purify.
  • *
  • *:Little disappointed, then, she turned attention to "Chat of the Social World," gossip which exercised potent fascination upon the girl's intelligence. She devoured with more avidity than she had her food those pretentiously phrased chronicles of the snobocracy […] distilling therefrom an acid envy that robbed her napoleon of all its savour.
  • (lb) To trickle down or fall in small drops; ooze out.
  • *(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)
  • *:Soft showers distilled , and suns grew warm in vain.
  • *Sir (Walter Raleigh) (ca.1554-1618)
  • *:The Euphrates distilleth out of the mountains of Armenia.
  • (lb) To be manifested gently or gradually.
  • (lb) To drip or be wet with.
  • Derived terms

    * distill an interface * distill out * distillable * distiller * distillery * distillment