compactness
/kəmˈpæktnəs/ (bre, ipa) · /kəmˈpæktnəs/ (ame, ipa) · /kəm-ˈpakt-nəs (ˈ)käm-¦pakt-/ (ame, mw)
compactness — 名詞
1. the feature of taking up only a little room, so that something is easy to carry,
輕巧；小巧
占用空間極少，便於攜帶或收納的特性
the feature of taking up only a little room, so that something is easy to carry, store, or fit into a tight space.
Yael chose the folding bike for its compactness on crowded trains.
Yael 因為這款摺疊腳踏車的輕巧，方便在擁擠的火車上攜帶，所以選了它。
noun + 'for its compactness' attributing a product virtue
Reviewers praised the laptop's compactness, since it slipped easily into a thin backpack.
評論者讚賞這款筆電的輕巧，因為它能輕鬆塞進薄薄的背包裡。
possessive + compactness describing a product feature
The campers loved the stove's compactness because every gram counted on the long hike.
登山客很喜歡這台爐具的小巧，因為長程健行時每一公克都很重要。
Compactness was the main reason Felix picked the smaller espresso machine for his tiny kitchen.
小巧是 Felix 為他迷你廚房挑選那台較小型濃縮咖啡機的主要原因。
Engineers at the Osaka studio designed the speaker for compactness without losing sound quality.
大阪工作室的工程師在設計這款喇叭時追求輕巧，同時不犧牲音質。
- portability
emphasises ease of carrying rather than small size itself
- smallness
purely about size; loses the 'efficient use of space' connotation
- bulkiness
the opposite virtue — takes up too much room
用法筆記
Subject is typically a designed object (device, vehicle, furniture). Frequently appears as 'its compactness' or 'for its compactness' praising a product virtue.
常見錯誤
2. the state in which the parts of something are pressed tightly against each other
緊實；密實
內部各部分緊密相連、幾乎沒有空隙的狀態
the state in which the parts of something are pressed tightly against each other, leaving very little empty space between them.
The compactness of the snow on the mountain made it perfect for building igloos.
山上積雪的緊實，讓它非常適合用來蓋雪屋。
'the compactness of [substance]' describing material density
Bao tested the compactness of the soil before planting the tomato seedlings.
Bao 在種番茄苗之前，先測試了一下土壤的緊實程度。
The compactness of the forest made it almost impossible for sunlight to reach the ground.
這片森林的密實讓陽光幾乎無法照到地面。
Anya was surprised by the compactness of the crowd at the small concert hall.
Anya 對這間小型音樂廳裡人潮的密集感到驚訝。
Geologists studied the compactness of the rock layers to learn about ancient earthquakes.
地質學家研究岩層的緊實程度，以了解古代地震。
- looseness
parts are not pressed together; gaps remain
用法筆記
Subject is usually a mass noun (soil, snow, rock, crowd, forest). Distinguish from sense 1 by the relationship: sense 2 looks INSIDE something at how its parts press together; sense 1 looks at the whole object's small footprint.