compact

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

/ adjective kəmˈpækt, kɒm-, ˈkɒm pækt; verb kəmˈpækt; noun ˈkɒm pækt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compact ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

arranged within a relatively small space: a compact shopping center; a compact kitchen.

designed to be small in size and economical in operation.

solidly or firmly built: the compact body of a lightweight wrestler.

expressed concisely; pithy; terse; not diffuse: a compact review of the week's news.

composed or made (usually followed by of): a book compact of form and content.

Also bicompact. 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)

to join or pack closely together; consolidate; condense.

to make firm or stable.

to form or make by close union or conjunction; make up or compose.

Metallurgy. to compress (metallic or metallic and nonmetallic powders) in a die to be sintered.

to crush into compact form for convenient disposal or for storage until disposal: to compact rubbish.

noun

a small case containing a mirror, face powder, a puff, and sometimes rouge.

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 m3).

Metallurgy. (in powder metallurgy) an object to be sintered formed of metallic or of metallic and nonmetallic powders compressed in a die.

Nearby words

Origin of compact

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin compāctus (past participle of compingere to shut away, bind together), equivalent to com- com- + pag-, variant stem of pangere to fix, arrange (akin to pāx peace; cf. pact, compact²) + -tus past participle suffix

SYNONYMS FOR compact

2 small, snug.

5 concise, succinct, brief.

8 compress.

9 stabilize, solidify.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compact ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

com·pact·ed·ly, adverbcom·pact·ed·ness, nouncom·pact·ly, adverbcom·pact·ness, noun

un·com·pact·ed, adjectivewell-com·pact·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for compactness

Rather, that research suggests that size, not compactness, constitutes the decisive factor.
Houston Rising—Why the Next Great American Cities Aren’t What You Think|Joel Kotkin|April 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He has neat, well-nourished hands, short arms, and is built for strength and compactness rather than for height.
The Doctor's Dilemma|George Bernard Shaw
We have already seen that snow and ice at different degrees of compactness are not equally permeable to moisture.
The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 12, No. 74, December, 1863|Various
Space needs in its turn regulation, for the saving of steps must be considered and compactness is essential.
Household Administration|Various

The town of Boston had little of its present compactness in those days.
Silent Struggles|Ann S. Stephens
Each of these was inspected in turn, the boys being delighted with the compactness and neatness of everything.
The Boy Scouts for Uncle Sam|John Henry Goldfrap

British Dictionary definitions for compactness (1 of 2)

compact

adjective (kəmˈpækt, ˈkɒmpækt)

closely packed together; dense

neatly fitted into a restricted space

concise; brief

well constructed; solid; firm

(foll by of) composed or made up (of)

denoting a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been published in broadsheet form

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

US and Canadian (of a car) small and economical

verb (kəmˈpækt) (tr)

to pack or join closely together; compress; condense

(foll by of) to create or form by pressing togethersediment compacted of three types of clay

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

noun (ˈkɒmpækt)

a small flat case containing a mirror, face powder, etc, designed to be carried in a woman's handbag

US and Canadian a comparatively small and economical car

metallurgy a mass of metal prepared for sintering by cold-pressing a metal powder

a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been publis hed in broadsheet form

Derived Formscompacter, nouncompaction, nouncompactly, adverbcompactness, noun

Word Origin for compact

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

British Dictionary definitions for compactness (2 of 2)

compact

/ (ˈkɒmpækt) /

noun

an official contract or agreement

Word Origin for compact

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for compactness (1 of 4)

compact

adj.

late 14c., from Middle French compact (14c.) or directly from Latin compactus "concentrated," past participle of compingere "to fasten together, construct," from com- "with, together" (see com-) + pangere "to fix, fasten" (see pact). Compact car is 1960. Compact disc is from 1979.

Word Origin and History for compactness (1 of 4)

compact

n.1

"agreement," 1590s, from Latin compactum "agreement," noun use of neuter past participle of compacisci "come to agreement," from com- "together" (see com-) + pacisci "to covenant, contract" (see pact).

Word Origin and History for compactness (2 of 4)

compact

early 15c., from Latin compactus, past participle of compingere "to fasten together" (see compact (adj.)). Related: Compacted; compacting.

Word Origin and History for compactness (3 of 4)

compact

n.2

"make-up case," 1921, from compact (adj.), based on its containing compacted face powder.

compact

adjective

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of compact

Examples from the Web for compactness

British Dictionary definitions for compactness (1 of 2)

compact

adjective (kəmˈpækt, ˈkɒmpækt)

verb (kəmˈpækt) (tr)

noun (ˈkɒmpækt)

Word Origin for compact

British Dictionary definitions for compactness (2 of 2)

compact

noun

Word Origin for compact

Word Origin and History for compactness (1 of 4)

compact

Word Origin and History for compactness (1 of 4)

compact

Word Origin and History for compactness (2 of 4)

compact

Word Origin and History for compactness (3 of 4)

compact