compendium

noun

com·​pen·​di·​um kəm-ˈpen-dē-əm 

plural compendiums or compendia kəm-ˈpen-dē-ə 

1

: a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge : abstract

a one-volume compendium of the multivolume original

2

a

: a list of a number of items

b

: collection, compilation

a compendium of folk tales

Synonyms

• album
• anthology
• collectanea
• compilation
• florilegium
• miscellany
• reader

Examples of compendium in a Sentence

a one-volume compendium of information

He published a compendium of folk tales.

Recent Examples on the Web

Among the lots are classical scores autographed by famous composers like Beethoven, Brahms, and Debussy, a 15th century copy of Virgil’s Aeneid once owned by British Prime Minister William Gladstone, and a compendium of early alchemical texts circa 1400 CE Italy. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024

So consider this an anthology of top architectural attractions, a compendium of cultural wonders, and a shortlist of the most sure-to-impress natural scenery on the planet. —Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 26 Nov. 2024

Rather than an interrogation of the beliefs of particular people at a particular place and time, Tokarczuk’s novel presents an undifferentiated compendium of eternal misogyny. —Robert Rubsam, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2024

And the Fed’s own Beige Book was nothing more than a compendium of emerging softness in consumption. —Robert Barone, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Latin, saving, shortcut, from compendere to weigh together, from com- + pendere to weigh — more at pendant

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1