Definition

A file reduced in size through the application of a compression algorithm, commonly performed to save disk space. The act of compressing a file makes it unreadable to most programs unless the file is uncompressed.

Comments

There is the concept for multiple file compression primarily used for archive purposes. The compression methods such as the ZIP format are used to reduce the size of a single, huge file, there is compression to compress several files into one "archive." It is convenient to store and considerably more convenient to transmit a single file than to keep track of multiple files but hinders integration of the data to tools and services, as well as performing rapid analysis.

Source

NIST Glossary

NESDIS Data Management Lexicon and Related Terms 

Category

4. Data Stewardship words