Cŏm'pen-sā'tion, n.
n. [Lat. compensatio.]
- The act or principle of compensating. Emerson.
- That which constitutes, or is regarded as, an equivalent; amends; remuneration; recompense.
The parliament which dissolved the monastic foundations . . . vouchsafed not a word toward securing the slightest compensation to the dispossessed owners. Hallam. 3. (Civ. Law.) The extinction of debts of which two persons are reciprocally debtors by the credits of which they are reciprocally creditors; the payment of a debt by a credit of equal amount; a set-off. Bouvier. Wharton.
Compensation-balance, or pendulum, a contrivance in timepieces to correct or compensate the effect of variations of temperature on the vibrations of the balance or pendulum. It usually consists of a combination of two different metals, each having a different degree of expansion under changes of temperature, and so arranged as to counteract each other and preserve uniformity of movement. [See Illust. under Mercurial and Gridiron.] Nichol.
Synonyms—Recompense; reward; remuneration; requital; amends; satisfaction.