compact

¹

[ adjective kuhm-pakt, kom-, kom-pakt; verb kuhm-pakt; noun kom-pakt ]

adjective

1. joined or packed together; closely and firmly united; dense; solid:

   compact soil.

2. arranged within a relatively small space:

   a compact shopping center;

   a compact kitchen.

   Synonyms: snug, small

3. designed to be small in size and economical in operation.
4. solidly or firmly built:

   the compact body of a lightweight wrestler.

5. expressed concisely; pithy; terse; not diffuse:

   a compact review of the week's news.

   Synonyms: brief, succinct, concise

6. composed or made (usually followed by of ):

   a book compact of form and content.

7. Also . Mathematics. (of a set) having the property that in any collection of open sets whose union contains the given set there exists a finite number of open sets whose union contains the given set; having the property that every open cover has a finite subcover.

verb (used with object)

1. to join or pack closely together; consolidate; condense.

   Synonyms: compress

2. to make firm or stable.

   Synonyms: solidify, stabilize

3. to form or make by close union or conjunction; make up or compose.
4. Metallurgy. to compress (metallic or metallic and nonmetallic powders) in a die to be sintered.
5. to crush into compact form for convenient disposal or for storage until disposal:

   to compact rubbish.

noun

1. a small case containing a mirror, face powder, a puff, and sometimes rouge.
2. Also called compact car. an automobile that is smaller than an intermediate but larger than a subcompact and generally has a combined passenger and luggage volume of 100–110 cu. ft. (2.8–3.1 m 3 ).
3. Metallurgy. (in powder metallurgy) an object to be sintered formed of metallic or of metallic and nonmetallic powders compressed in a die.

compact

²

[ kom-pakt ]

noun

1. a formal agreement between two or more parties, states, etc.; contract:

   the proposed economic compact between Germany and France.

   Synonyms: concordat, convention, entente, pact, treaty

compact

¹

adjective

1. closely packed together; dense
2. neatly fitted into a restricted space
3. concise; brief
4. well constructed; solid; firm
5. foll by of composed or made up (of)
6. denoting a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been published in broadsheet form
7. logic (of a relation) having the property that for any pair of elements such that a is related to b, there is some element c such that a is related to c and c to b, as less than on the rational numbers
8. (of a car) small and economical

verb

1. to pack or join closely together; compress; condense
2. foll by of to create or form by pressing together

   sediment compacted of three types of clay

3. metallurgy to compress (a metal powder) to form a stable product suitable for sintering

noun

1. a small flat case containing a mirror, face powder, etc, designed to be carried in a woman's handbag
2. a comparatively small and economical car
3. metallurgy a mass of metal prepared for sintering by cold-pressing a metal powder
4. a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been publis hed in broadsheet form

compact

²

/ ˈkɒmpækt /

noun

1. an official contract or agreement

Derived Forms

• comˈpacter, noun
• comˈpactly, adverb
• comˈpaction, noun
• comˈpactness, noun

Other Words From

• com·pact·ed·ly adverb
• com·pact·ed·ness noun
• com·pact·ly adverb
• com·pact·ness noun
• un·com·pact·ed adjective
• well-com·pact·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of compact¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin compāctus (past participle of compingere “to shut away, put away, bind together”), equivalent to com- prefix + pag-, stem of pangere “to fix, arrange” + -tus past participle suffix; com-; peace; pact, compact ² )

Origin of compact²

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin compactum, compectum, noun use of neuter of compactus (past participle of compacīscī “to make an agreement”), equivalent to com- prefix + pac- (stem of pacīscī “to secure by negotiation” + -tus past participle ending); com-; compact ¹, pact, peace

Word History and Origins

Origin of compact¹

C16: from Latin compactus, from compingere to put together, from com- together + pangere to fasten

Origin of compact²

C16: from Latin compactum, from compaciscī to agree, from com- together + paciscī to contract; see pact

Synonym Study

See agreement.

Example Sentences

This discovery could also help explain cosmic events like supernova explosions and gravitational waves, since binaries containing one or more of these compact dead stars are thought to be the origin of such phenomena.

From Science Daily

This could dramatically reduce the amount of tritium needed to start up and maintain fusion reactions, leading to more compact and affordable fusion systems.

From Science Daily

"The soil is compacted, there's asphalt over them and when it rains, the water runs off into the gutters instead of into the soil."

From Science Daily

While total annual rain and snowfall levels may not change dramatically, long periods between intense precipitation events allow the soil to dry and become more compact.

From Science Daily

But the surrounding galleries in this compact show take other directions, into painting, drawing and sculpture, before coming around to performance again.

From New York Times

Related Words

• solid
• tight