Dictionary

compact en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /kəmˈpækt/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɑmˌpækt/ (US)
• /kəmˈpækt/ (UK)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compactum (“agreement”).

Meanings

1. (archaic, not-comparable) Agreed, contracted.
   • O Gorice XI., most glorious King of Witchland, and O Lord Goldry Bluszco, captain of the hosts of Demonland, it is compact betwixt you, and made fast by mighty oaths whereof I, the Red Foliot, am keeper, that ye shall wrastle three falls together on these conditions, […] 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 20:

Antonyms

noncompact · spread out · loose · uncompact · spaced out · diffuse

Hyponyms

tight-fitting · packed · concentrated · serried · rammed

Synonyms

solid · tight · dense · close · compact · thick · crowded

compact en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɒmˌpækt/ (UK)
• /ˈkɑmˌpækt/ (US)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compactum (“agreement”).

Meanings

1. An agreement or contract.
   • President Biden laid out an ambitious agenda on Wednesday night to rewrite the American social compact by vastly expanding family leave, child care, health care, preschool and college education for millions of people to be financed with increased taxes on the wealthiest earners. 2021 April 29, Peter Baker, “Biden Seeks Shift in How the Nation Serves Its People”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • After taking over this month as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan coalition of city mayors, he urged members to sign a “crypto compact” calling on the federal government to eschew overly aggressive regulation of the industry. 2022 January 25, David Yaffe-Bellany, “The Rise of the Crypto Mayors”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • Countering this in international media by offering more balanced views for a global audience is near impossible as censorship is rife. There almost seems to be a global compact to control the narrative, a propaganda war powered by today’s digital technology. 2023 February 21, Chandran Nair, “Anti-China Rhetoric Is Off the Charts in Western Media”, in The Diplomat:

Forms

Deriveds

interstate compact · social compact

Synonyms

pact · agreement · treaty · contract

Translations (27)

nl pact (agreement or contract) · de pakt (agreement or contract) · hu egyezmény (agreement or contract) · cmn 協議 /协议 (agreement or contract) · ru догово́р (agreement or contract) · pt acordo (agreement or contract) · de Vertrag (agreement or contract) · es acuerdo (agreement or contract) · bg договор (agreement or contract) · ga acht (agreement or contract) · la compectum (agreement or contract) · nl contract (agreement or contract) · ru сде́лка (agreement or contract) · gl acordo (agreement or contract) · el σύμβαση (agreement or contract) · bg споразумение (agreement or contract) · de Kontrakt (agreement or contract) · hu megállapodás (agreement or contract) · el συμβόλαιο (agreement or contract) · de over (agreement or contract) · pt contrato (agreement or contract) · nl verdrag (agreement or contract) · pt pacto (agreement or contract) · ru пакт (agreement or contract) · el συμφωνία (agreement or contract) · nl overeenkomst (agreement or contract) · grc συνθήκη (agreement or contract)

compact en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /kəmˈpækt/ (UK, US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compactum (“agreement”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To form an agreement or contract.
   • In return for the sovereign's protection, they compacted to police the content of public literature. 2004, Ronan Deazley, On the Origin of the Right to Copy, page 94:

Forms

compact en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /kəmˈpækt/ (US)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɑmˌpækt/ (US)
• /kəmˈpækt/ (UK)

Etymology

From Middle French compact, from Latin compāctus, perfect passive participle of compingō (“join together”), from com- (“together”) + pangō (“fasten”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to attach, fix, fasten”).

Meanings

1. Closely packed or densely constituted; having much material in a small volume.
   • glass, crystal, gems, and other compact bodies 1704, I[saac] N[ewton], “(please specify |book=1 to 3)”, in Opticks: Or, A Treatise of the Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions and Colours of Light. […], London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, printers to the Royal Society, […], →OCLC:
2. Having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space.
   • a compact laptop computer
3. (of prose) Brief and pithy; not verbose.
   • a compact discourse
4. (not-comparable) Of a topological space: ▸ Such that every open cover has a finite subcover. In a metric space, this is equivalent to being sequentially compact. In metric spaces with the Heine-Borel property, this is equivalent to being closed and bounded.
5. (not-comparable) Of a topological space: ▸ Compact in the above sense and moreover Hausdorff.
6. (obsolete) Joined or held together; leagued; confederated.
   • Thou fooliſh Frier, and thou pernicious woman / Compact with her that's gone: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], page 81:
   • a pipe of seven reeds, compact with wax together 1622, Henry Peacham (Junior), The Compleat Gentleman:
7. (obsolete) Composed or made; with of.
   • A wandering fire, / Compact of unctuous vapor. 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

Forms

Antonyms

noncompact · spread out · loose · uncompact · spaced out · diffuse

Deriveds

locally compact · incompact · compact fluorescent lamp · massive compact halo object · compactly · compact space · compactify · supercompact · compacton · compactization · compact disc · compactness · paracompact · σ-compact · noncompact · compactin · pseudocompact · compact neighbourhood · semicompact · compact audio cassette · uncompact · compact executive car · cocompact · compact camera · compact cassette · compactification · metacompact · compact star · compact disk · hypercompact · locally compact group · precompact · quasi-compact · Hickson compact group · decompact

Hyponyms

tight-fitting · packed · concentrated · serried · rammed

Synonyms

serried · solid · tight · dense · concentrated · dense · quasi-compact · close · compact · crowded · thick · crowded

Translations (66)

ro compact (topological sense) · az kip (closely packed) · fr compact (topological sense) · he דחוס (closely packed) · is þjappað (topological sense) · grc εὐπαγής (closely packed) · pl zwięzły (closely packed) · pt compacto (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · rgn mazèz (closely packed) · pl zbity (closely packed) · sc cumpàttu (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · sv kompakt (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · el περιεκτικός (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · tr kompakt (closely packed) · sc cumpàttu (closely packed) · uk компа́ктний (closely packed) · el συμπαγής (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · ru пло́тный (closely packed) · tl siksik (closely packed) · pt compacto (topological sense) · oc compacte (closely packed) · sv kompakt (topological sense) · cmn 緊湊的 /紧凑的 (closely packed) · hy կիպ (closely packed) · fi kompakti (topological sense) · gl compacto (closely packed) · hu kompakt (closely packed) · hu kompakt (topological sense) · pl zwarta (topological sense) · es compacto (closely packed) · fi kompakti (closely packed) · uk компа́ктний (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · fr compact (closely packed) · fi tiivis (closely packed) · it compatto (closely packed) · fr compact (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · kk ықшам (topological sense) · de kompakt (topological sense) · ga dlúth (closely packed) · el πυκνός (closely packed) · ca compacte (closely packed) · he קומפקטי (topological sense) · nl compact (topological sense) · bg плътен (closely packed) · tr tıkız (topological sense) · az yığcam (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · ro compact (closely packed) · ru компа́ктный (closely packed) · mi kiato (closely packed) · nl compact (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · pt compacto (closely packed) · fi kompakti (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · cmn 緊的 /紧的 (topological sense) · ro compact (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · bg компактен (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · mi raungaiti (closely packed) · el συμπαγής (closely packed) · tr kompakt (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · pl zwarty (topological sense) · el συμπεπιεσμένος (topological sense) · cs kompaktní (closely packed) · cmn 緊致的 /紧致的 (topological sense) · gl compacto (topological sense) · nl compact (closely packed) · gl compacto (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space) · ru компа́ктный (having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space)

compact en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈkɒmˌpækt/ (UK)
• /ˈkɑmˌpækt/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle French compact, from Latin compāctus, perfect passive participle of compingō (“join together”), from com- (“together”) + pangō (“fasten”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to attach, fix, fasten”).

Meanings

1. A slim folding case, often featuring a mirror, powder and a powder puff, small enough to fit in a woman's purse, handbag, or pocket.
2. An automobile that is larger than a subcompact but smaller than an intermediate.
3. A broadsheet newspaper published in the size of a tabloid but keeping its non-sensational style.
   • The Dundee Courier has announced the newspaper will be relaunching as a compact later this week. Editor Richard Neville said a "brighter, bolder" paper would appear from Saturday, shrunk from broadsheet to tabloid size. 2012, BBC News, Dundee Courier makes move to compact:

Forms

Deriveds

minicompact

Synonyms

powder box

Translations (13)

hu púderdoboz (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · tr pudriyer (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · gv kishtey poodyr (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · pl puderniczka (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · de Puderdose (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · fr poudrier (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · el πουδριέρα (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · da pudderdåse (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · sv puderdosa (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · ja コンパクト (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · cs pudřenka (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · vi hộp phấn trang điểm (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror) · tr pudralık (small, slim folding case, often holding a mirror)

wikidata: Q3400197

compact en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /kəmˈpækt/ (UK, US)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle French compact, from Latin compāctus, perfect passive participle of compingō (“join together”), from com- (“together”) + pangō (“fasten”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to attach, fix, fasten”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To make more dense; to compress.
   • You need to excavate and remove the topsoil, line the subsoil with a geotextile, then lay and compact hardcore. 2014 August 24, Jeff Howell, “Home improvements: gravel paths and cutting heating bills [print version: Cold comfort in technology, 23 August 2014, p. P5]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Property):
2. To unite or connect firmly, as in a system.
   • The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ephesians 4:16:

Forms

Deriveds

compactible · compactable · uncompact · recompact · precompact

Synonyms

condense · compress (make more dense)

Translations (21)

el συμπυκνώνω (make more dense) · nl samenpersen (make more dense) · mi whakakiato (make more dense) · it compattare (make more dense) · ga comhdhlúthaigh (make more dense) · bg сгъстявам (make more dense) · oc compactar (make more dense) · de komprimieren (make more dense) · gl compactar (make more dense) · hu tömörít (make more dense) · es apelmazar (make more dense) · es compactar (make more dense) · el πατικώνω (make more dense) · nl compactificeren (make more dense) · pt compactar (make more dense) · nl verdichten (make more dense) · he דחס (make more dense) · ca compactar (make more dense) · el συμπτύσσω (make more dense) · ga dlúthaigh (make more dense) · bg сбивам (make more dense)