A device or mechanism that reduces something (usually a gas or liquid) to a smaller volume or more compact form.
From Latin 'condensare' (to make thick), combining 'con-' (together) and 'densare' (to make dense); became a technical term in the 1600s for devices that compress substances.
The steam condenser was a crucial invention in the Industrial Revolution—it made steam engines so much more efficient that it basically powered the entire transformation from agrarian to industrial society.
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