the act whereby a body is rendered more dense, compact, and heavy. The word is commonly applied to the conversion of vapour into water, by distillation, or naturally in the clouds. The way in which vapour commonly condenses, is by the application of some cold substance. On touching it, the vapour parts with its heat which it had before absorbed; and on doing so, it immediately loses the proper characteristics of vapour, and becomes water. But though this is the most common and usual way in which we observe vapour to be condensed, nature certainly proceeds after another method: since we often observe the vapours most plentifully condensed when the weather is really warmer than at other times. See the articles CLOUD, EVAPORATION, &c.