Skip to content

compact

adjective

  1. newspaper physical format
L19352 on Wikidata ↗

noun

  1. portable case for makeup or facepowder, usually with a mirror in its lid
L30744 on Wikidata ↗

verb

  1. make compact, compress
L30957 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /kəmˈpækt/ / /ˈkɑmˌpækt/ / /ˈkɒmˌpækt/

adj

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”).

  1. Closely packed or densely constituted; having much material in a small volume.

    glass, crystal, gems, and other compact bodies

  2. Having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space.

    a compact laptop computer

  3. Brief and pithy; not verbose.

    a compact discourse

  4. Of a topological space:
  5. Of a topological space:
  6. Joined or held together; leagued; confederated.

    Thou fooliſh Frier, and thou pernicious woman / Compact with her that's gone:

    a pipe of seven reeds, compact with wax together

  7. Composed or made; with of.

    A wandering fire, / Compact of unctuous vapor.

noun

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”).

  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.

verb

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”).

  1. 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.

  2. To unite or connect firmly, as in a system.

    The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth.