compartment

American  

[kuhm-pahrt-muhnt] / kəmˈpɑrt mənt /

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.

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verb (used with object)

1. to divide into compartments.

compartment British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• compartmental adjective
• compartmentally adverb

Etymology

Origin of compartment

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

Example Sentences

The ship also had a series of watertight compartments and could remain afloat if up to four were breached.

From BBC

Lysosomes are small compartments enclosed by membranes that serve as the cell's recycling centers.

From Science Daily

Hydrogen peroxide is abundant within the small compartment that houses the crystals, and the parasite naturally produces it as a byproduct.

From Science Daily

Together we climbed onto the train, together found seats in a crowded compartment, together wept tears of gratitude.

From Literature

Some become embedded in the cell walls of leaves, while others are placed into structures called vacuoles, which act as storage compartments that hold unwanted materials inside cells.

From Science Daily

Related Words

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