Compensate
/ˈkɒm.pən.seɪt/noun
To make up for something lost or damaged, or to provide payment or recompense.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin compensare, originally meaning to weigh together or balance against, so the modern idea of “making up for” something began as literal counterweight magic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spend-
“to weigh, measure, or make an offering”
Latin
Latin
com- + pensare
“to weigh together, balance, or counterbalance”
Late Latin
Latin
compensare
“to make amends for, offset, or counterbalance”
Old French
Old French
compensacion
“recompense, remuneration, or compensation”
Middle English
English
compensacioun
“recompense or making amends”
Modern English
English
compensate
“to pay back, offset, or make amends for”