v. com·pen·sat·ed, com·pen·sat·ing, com·pen·sates v.tr. 1. To offset; counterbalance. 2. To make satisfactory payment or reparation to; recompense or reimburse: Management compensated us for the time we worked. 3. To stabilize the purchasing power of (a monetary unit) by changing the gold content in order to counterbalance price variations. v.intr. To serve as or provide a substitute or counterbalance. [Latin compēnsāre, compēnsāt- : com-, com- + pēnsāre, to weigh; see (s)pen- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] compen·sa′tive (kŏmpən-sā′tĭv, kəm-pĕnsə-tĭv) adj. compen·sa′tor n. com·pensa·to′ry (kəm-pĕnsə-tôr′ē) adj. |
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