com·pen·sate (kŏm'pən-sāt')

v., -sat·ed, -sat·ing, -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.]

compensative com'pen·sa'tive (kŏm'pən-sā'tĭv, kəm-pĕn'sə-tĭv) adj.
compensator com'pen·sa'tor n.
compensatory com·pen'sa·to'ry (kəm-pĕn'sə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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