condense
kun-DENSS
/kənˈdens/
make something denser or more concentrated; express an idea or piece of writing in fewer words.
Focuses on squeezing content closer together without losing essential substance or value.
The story behind the word. Formed from Latin com- (together) and densus ('thick, dense'). Originally used in physics and chemistry to describe gas turning into liquid, by the 1600s writers borrowed the physical metaphor to describe crowding thoughts into fewer words.
Word relationships
- compress: Compress stresses physical pressure forcing things together, while condense stresses concentration of density.
- distill: Distill emphasizes extracting pure essence, whereas condense emphasizes squeezing overall volume down.
- expand: Expand means to make larger or add detail to.
- dilute: Dilute means to make thinner or weaken by adding extra volume.
Commonly confused with
- abridge: Abridge cuts away whole sections to reduce length, while condense squeezes the whole work down.
Word family
- condensation (noun): the process of making denser or changing from gas to liquid
- condenser (noun): an apparatus for condensing vapor
- condensed (adjective): made denser or concise
Collocations
- condense a report
- condense information
- condense vapor
- condense into
Example sentences
- "The editor asked the journalist to condense the sprawling draft into a tight five-hundred-word column." Editorial process
- "As the temperature dropped, water vapor began to condense into drops on the cool window pane." Physical chemistry context
Memory hook
CONDENSE makes writing DENSE — packing lots of meaning into a tight, dense space. Thickened into a smaller space.
When not to use
Do not use when parts of a text are removed completely without preserving their essence; that is abridgement.
Fun facts
- Condensed milk was invented in the 1850s by removing 60% of water from milk so it wouldn't spoil on long journeys.
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