compensatio

Forms

compēnsātiō f (genitive compēnsātiōnis); third declension^[1] It is also spelled conpēnsātiō.^[2]

Etymology

It is from compēnsō “to weigh together, balance” with the suffix -tiō, from con- and pēnsō “to weigh”.^[3][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from the Rhetorica ad Herennium, of weighing factors against each other.^[3] Köbler dates it 86/82 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant a weighing or counter-balancing of factors, as in the Rhetorica ad Herennium, and in Gaius and the Digest the offsetting of items in an account, set-off.^[3][6] Gaffiot also gives exchange, barter.^[6]

British Medieval Latin used it for the balancing of loss with gain.^[7] It survives in Italian compensazione and Spanish compensación, and gave English compensation in the late 14th century, “action of compensating”.^[1][4]

Timeline

• 86/82 BC – The Rhetorica ad Herennium uses it.^[3][5]
• 140–180 AD – Gaius uses it of accounts.^[3][5]
• late 14th century – English compensation is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A weighing, balancing.^[3]
2. Set-off (in accounts); compensation.^[3]

Related words

• compēnsō
• pēnsō
• pendō
• English compensation

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press