compartment

[ kuhm-pahrt-muhnt ]

noun

1. a part or space marked or partitioned off.

   Synonyms: section, division

2. a separate room, section, etc.:

   a baggage compartment.

3. U.S. Railroads. a private bedroom with toilet facilities.
4. a separate aspect, function, or the like:

   the compartments of the human mind.

5. Architecture. a distinct major division of a design.
6. Heraldry. a decorative base, as a grassy mound, on which the supporters of an escutcheon stand or rest.

verb (used with object)

1. to divide into compartments.

compartment

/ kəmˈpɑːtmənt; ˌkɒmpɑːtˈmɛntəl /

noun

1. one of the sections into which an area, esp an enclosed space, is divided or partitioned
2. any separate part or section

   a compartment of the mind

3. a small storage space; locker

Derived Forms

• ˌcompartˈmentally, adverb
• compartmental, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of compartment¹

1555–65; < Middle French compartiment < Italian compartimento. See compart, -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of compartment¹

C16: from French compartiment, ultimately from Late Latin compartīrī to share, from Latin com- with + partīrī to apportion, from pars part

Example Sentences

The astronauts might then use the bathroom, a small compartment with a suction system.

From BBC

"The council gave me a rough plan of the cemetery and I found an old newspaper that said he was buried in Compartment 114 and the number of the plot," Black adds.

From BBC

The team's only made it through one round, with Harris answering the question of "what is something in your glove compartment" with a rambling anecdote about growing up middle class and talking to small business owners.

From Salon

If you are checking luggage, make sure to bring a small overnight backpack that will fit in your room or in the overhead compartment near your coach seat.

From Los Angeles Times

The septuagenarian student said people now were not "as judgmental" as they had been in the past, adding: "You don't get put in a compartment so much."

From BBC

Related Words

• alcove
• carriage
• cell
• chamber
• cubicle
• locker
• slot