compaction

American  

[kuhm-pak-shuhn, kom-] / kəmˈpæk ʃən, kɒm- /

noun

1. the act of compacting compact or the state of being compacted. compact.

2. Geology. the consolidation of sediments resulting from the weight of overlying deposits.

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compaction Scientific  

/ kəm-păk′shən /

1. The process by which the porosity of a given form of sediment is decreased as a result of its mineral grains being squeezed together by the weight of overlying sediment or by mechanical means.

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Etymology

Origin of compaction

1350–1400; Middle English compaccioun < Latin compāctiōn- (stem of compāctiō ) a joining, frame, equivalent to compāct ( us ) compact ¹ + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

They also discovered that these loops appear to form as a result of the genome compaction that occurs during mitosis.

From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2025

These aquifers lie hundreds of feet underground, below shallow aquifers and clay layers, and they contain clay layers that are especially susceptible to compaction when water is extracted.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 25, 2024

Boston should be on the rising end of that seesaw, but many areas of the city were built on soft soil prone to compaction.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024

Cover crops can protect against erosion and soil compaction.

From Salon • Aug. 17, 2023

He did not explain that the venire he had drawn from the jury drum had borne a singularly solid Hollman compaction.

From The Call of the Cumberlands by Buck, Charles Neville