Reading Theme:
Condense: Definition, Usage & Key Examples (2 meaning)
Meaning 1：summarize concisely (condense)
condense
/kənˈdens/
v.
To make something shorter or smaller by only keeping the most important parts.
summarize concisely
➕
/ˈsʌməraɪz kənˈsaɪsli/
v.
To reduce the length or volume of something, such as text or speech, by removing less important details while retaining the core message and essence.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Root Explanation
From Latin 'condensare', from 'con-' (together) + 'densus' (dense). Literally 'to make dense'.
💡 Mnemonic
Think of a dense forest: to CONDENSE information is to pack ideas close together, making them dense with meaning.
📖 Example
The professor asked us to condense our 20-page research paper into a one-page summary.
The professor asked us to summarize our 20-page research paper concisely into a one-page summary.
🔗 Collocations
condense into – To reduce something into a shorter or more compact form.
condense down – To simplify or shorten information to its fundamentals.
condense a story – To shorten a narrative by focusing on key events.
🔄 Synonyms
🚫 Antonyms
🌱 Derivatives
condensed (adj.) – Made shorter or more concentrated.
condensation (n.) – The process or result of making something more concise; also the physical process of gas turning to liquid.
📖 Cultural Story
The Latin verb 'condensare' (to make dense, to press close together) entered English in the late 16th century. It was initially used in both physical (compress) and intellectual (concentrate thought) contexts, reflecting its core idea of intensification by reduction. The scientific sense (gas to liquid) developed later.
Meaning 2：turn from gas to liquid (condense)
condense
/kənˈdens/
v.
When a gas cools down and turns into a liquid.
turn from gas to liquid
➕
/tɜːn frɒm ɡæs tuː ˈlɪkwɪd/
v.
To change from a gaseous or vapor state into a liquid state, typically as a result of cooling.
📘 Details & Usage
📖 Example
On a hot day, water vapor in the air will condense into droplets on the outside of a cold drink can.
On a hot day, water vapor in the air will turn from gas to liquid, forming droplets on the outside of a cold drink can.
🔗 Collocations
condense on – To form liquid on a surface from cooled vapor.
water vapor condenses – The process where gaseous water turns into liquid.
condense into clouds – The atmospheric process where water vapor forms clouds.
🔄 Synonyms
liquefy (v.) – To make or become liquid.
precipitate (v.) – In chemistry, to cause a substance to be deposited from a solution; also refers to moisture falling from the sky.
🌱 Derivatives
condensation (n.) – The process of a gas or vapor changing into a liquid; also the liquid formed.
condenser (n.) – A device or apparatus for condensing vapor into liquid.
Wordbook
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