compressed air
9
3.7
- noun
- /kəmˈprɛst ɛr/
- Specialized
:
aire comprimido
- Another storage technology that has received attention is compressed air energy storage.
- compressed air system
- uses compressed air
It picks up the heat of the tank, cools the tank of compressed air down to room temperature.
- It picks up the heat of the tank, cools the tank of compressed air down to room temperature.
- Instead, this tank is filled with compressed air.
- Yeah, pressure isn't like compressed air, but that helps build pressure.
Examples
-
The system can be adapted to automatically drain the compressed-air lines.
Academic text (1994) -
And I want you to get a can of compressed air to clean your desk.
-
Blowing any dust out of the case can be done with a compressed air can.
Academic text (2001) -
The truck comes to a halt with a hiss of compressed air.
Fiction book (1997) -
With the proper design and some experimentation, the parts may move smoothly enough to run on compressed air.
Academic text (2007) -
A can of compressed air is good at keeping paper dust from clogging your printer's innards.
Academic text (2009) -
But the gun is only a plastic plaything that uses compressed air to shoot soft globules of non-toxic, washable paint.
Fiction book (1999) -
You can clean your keyboard using a can of compressed air to blow out the dust.
-
The mechanic used compressed air to power the tools in the garage.
-
To remove debris from the circuit board, blow it clean with compressed air.
How Pressurized
- Specialized
9
3.7
- Specialized
6
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'air kept at higher-than-normal pressure' is directly and predictably derived from 'compressed' (made denser by pressure) + 'air' (gases). This adjective+noun combination follows a regular compositional pattern that is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Compressed air comes from the idea of trapping air and making it compressed by squeezing it with a pump. So 'compressed air' means 'air kept at higher pressure' that can power tools and machines.