compendium

noun

com·​pen·​di·​um kəm-ˈpen-dē-əm 

plural compendiums or compendia kəm-ˈpen-dē-ə 

1

: a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge : abstract

a one-volume compendium of the multivolume original

2

a

: a list of a number of items

b

: collection, compilation

a compendium of folk tales

Synonyms of compendium

• compilation
• anthology

Examples of compendium in a Sentence

a one-volume compendium of information

He published a compendium of folk tales.

Recent Examples on the Web

One year before Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire published their compendium of Greek myths, Cicellis released her second work of fiction, The Way to Colonos, which ruthlessly dramatizes the limits of individual freedom and the agony of facing one’s powerlessness. —Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026

What better way to avoid the terrors of Dry January than by sneaking yourself into the cozy snug of The Pub, a compendium of Britain’s quintessential third space. —Air Mail, 3 Jan. 2026

The movie narrates the life of George Orwell, using a compendium of archival sources, including the great writer’s letters and journals. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2025

Weiss created the online publication The Free Press, a compendium of views and news reporting, on the premise that much of the mainstream media is too reflexively liberal. —David Folkenflik, NPR, 22 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, "gain, profit, saving, short cut, abridgement, summary," from com- com- + pendere "to weigh, have a weight of, pay (out), estimate, consider" + -ium, suffix forming nouns from compound verbs — more at pendent

Note: Latin compendium would appear to have been formed from compendere, presumably "to weigh together," but the only evidence for such a verb is its citation by varro to account for the etymology of compendium.

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1