'Lossy compression' definitions:

Definition of 'Lossy compression'

From: GCIDE

Compression \Com*pres"sion\, n. [L. compressio: cf. F. compression.]
1. The act of compressing, or state of being compressed. "Compression of thought." --Johnson. [1913 Webster]
2. (Computers) reduction of the space required for storage (of binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a smaller number of bits while preserving the information content. The act of compressing [3].
Note: Compression may be lossless compression, in which all of the information in the original data is preserved, and the original data may be recovered in form identical to its original form; or lossy compression, in which some of the information in the original data is lost, and decompression results in a data form slightly different from the original. {Lossy compression} is used, for example, to compress audio or video recordings, and sometimes images, where the slight differences in the original data and the data recovered after lossy compression may be imperceptable to the human eye or ear. The JPEG format is produced by a lossy compression algorithm. [PJC]

From: GCIDE

lossy compression \los"sy com*pres"sion\, n. (Computers) The compression of binary data into a form which, when it is re-expanded, has most, but not all, of the original information. It is used primarily for compression of images and sounds, and is designed to provide a high degree of compression at the cost of a slight loss of data. It is expemplified by the JPEG compression standard. Images compressed by a lossy compression algorithm are re-expanded into an image close, but not identical to the original image; the difference between the original and the reconstructed image may be imperceptible to normal viewing by the eye. [PJC]

From: GCIDE

Compression \Com*pres"sion\, n. [L. compressio: cf. F. compression.]
1. The act of compressing, or state of being compressed. "Compression of thought." --Johnson. [1913 Webster]
2. (Computers) reduction of the space required for storage (of binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a smaller number of bits while preserving the information content. The act of compressing [3].
Note: Compression may be lossless compression, in which all of the information in the original data is preserved, and the original data may be recovered in form identical to its original form; or lossy compression, in which some of the information in the original data is lost, and decompression results in a data form slightly different from the original. {Lossy compression} is used, for example, to compress audio or video recordings, and sometimes images, where the slight differences in the original data and the data recovered after lossy compression may be imperceptable to the human eye or ear. The JPEG format is produced by a lossy compression algorithm. [PJC]

From: GCIDE

Compression \Com*pres"sion\, n. [L. compressio: cf. F. compression.]
1. The act of compressing, or state of being compressed. "Compression of thought." --Johnson. [1913 Webster]
2. (Computers) reduction of the space required for storage (of binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a smaller number of bits while preserving the information content. The act of compressing [3].
Note: Compression may be lossless compression, in which all of the information in the original data is preserved, and the original data may be recovered in form identical to its original form; or lossy compression, in which some of the information in the original data is lost, and decompression results in a data form slightly different from the original. {Lossy compression} is used, for example, to compress audio or video recordings, and sometimes images, where the slight differences in the original data and the data recovered after lossy compression may be imperceptable to the human eye or ear. The JPEG format is produced by a lossy compression algorithm. [PJC]

From: GCIDE

Compression \Com*pres"sion\, n. [L. compressio: cf. F. compression.]
1. The act of compressing, or state of being compressed. "Compression of thought." --Johnson. [1913 Webster]
2. (Computers) reduction of the space required for storage (of binary data) by an algorithm which converts the data to a smaller number of bits while preserving the information content. The act of compressing [3].
Note: Compression may be lossless compression, in which all of the information in the original data is preserved, and the original data may be recovered in form identical to its original form; or lossy compression, in which some of the information in the original data is lost, and decompression results in a data form slightly different from the original. {Lossy compression} is used, for example, to compress audio or video recordings, and sometimes images, where the slight differences in the original data and the data recovered after lossy compression may be imperceptable to the human eye or ear. The JPEG format is produced by a lossy compression algorithm. [PJC]