compensation

[ kom-puhn-sey-shuhn ]
/ ˌkɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

the act or state of compensating, as by rewarding someone for service or by making up for someone's loss, damage, or injury by giving the injured party an appropriate benefit.
the state of being compensated or rewarded in this way.
something given or received as an equivalent for services, debt, loss, injury, suffering, lack, etc.; indemnity: The insurance company paid him $2000 as compensation for the loss of his car.
Biology. the improvement of any defect by the excessive development or action of another structure or organ of the same structure.
Psychology. a mechanism by which an individual attempts to make up for some real or imagined deficiency of personality or behavior by developing or stressing another aspect of the personality or by substituting a different form of behavior.

Origin of compensation

1350–1400; Middle English compensacioun < Latin compēnsātiōn- (stem of compēnsātiō), equivalent to compēnsāt(us) (see compensate) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM compensation

Example sentences from the Web for compensation

British Dictionary definitions for compensation

compensation
/ (ˌkɒmpɛnˈseɪʃən) /

noun

the act or process of making amends for something
something given as reparation for loss, injury, etc; indemnity
the automatic movements made by the body to maintain balance
the attempt to conceal or offset one's shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable
biology abnormal growth and increase in size in one organ in response to the removal or inactivation of another

Derived forms of compensation

compensational, adjective

Medical definitions for compensation

compensation
[ kŏm′pən-sāshən ]

n.

A process in which a tendency for a change in a given direction is counteracted by another change so that the original change is not evident.
An unconscious psychological mechanism by which one tries to make up for imagined or real deficiencies in personality or physical ability.