compressibility
From Glossary of Meteorology
The condition that the volume of a closed system decreases as the pressure on its surfaces increases. All physical substances are compressible, but the compressibility of liquids and solids is much smaller than for gases.
The compressibility of a gas is defined by its equation of state, approximated adequately for many purposes by that for an ideal gas.
See coefficient of compressibility;
compare incompressibility.
