Main Entry:

com·pen·sate

Pronunciation:

\ˈkäm-pən-ˌsāt, -ˌpen-\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

com·pen·sat·ed; com·pen·sat·ing

Etymology:

Latin compensatus, past participle of compensare, frequentative of compendere

Date:

1646

transitive verb1: to be equivalent to : counterbalance2: to make an appropriate and usually counterbalancing payment to <compensate the victims for their loss>3 a: to provide with means of counteracting variation b: to neutralize the effect of (variations)intransitive verb1: to supply an equivalent —used with for2: to offset an error, defect, or undesired effect <his enthusiasm compensates for his lack of skill>3: to undergo or engage in psychological or physiological compensation

synonyms see pay

— com·pen·sa·tive \ˈkäm-pən-ˌsā-tiv, -ˌpen-; kəm-ˈpen(t)-sə-\ adjective

— com·pen·sa·tor \ˈkäm-pən-ˌsā-tər, -ˌpen-\ noun

— com·pen·sa·to·ry \kəm-ˈpen(t)-sə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective