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

According to Native Languages of the Americas, a compendium of online materials about more than 800 indigenous languages of the Western Hemisphere, some Native American Tribes consider buzzards to be dirty, unsafe and associated with death, others see their appearance as a warning of danger ahead. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025

Skip them all and grab The Creative Entrepreneur, a compendium of advice from 10 industry titans whose insights will inform, amuse, and inspire you. —airmail.news, 15 Mar. 2025

That the play hasn’t been restaged has fueled the idea, fed by Beaulieu’s compendium, that copies no longer exist. —Elon Green, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2025

In an 1878 Sheffield compendium, the Brazil hoe came with a total of 165 options for sizes and finishes. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 15 Feb. 2025

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