compensate
Definitions
To give someone money or something good to make up for loss, damage, or trouble
补偿，赔偿
To balance out or offset an effect by having an opposite effect
抵消，弥补（使恢复平衡）
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedcom- (together) + pens (from Latin pendere/pensus, 'to weigh') + -ate (verb) = 'to weigh together.' Imagine a balance scale: a loss sits on one pan, and you add something to the other pan until the two sides weigh the same. That act of restoring balance by weighing one thing against another is what it means to compensate.
Root pend still carries 32 more wordsWhy It Means This
The whole compensate family lives on the image of a two-pan scale. When something is lost on one side, you weigh out an equal amount on the other to bring the scale level again. That's why compensate covers both paying money for damage and, more abstractly, one strength balancing out a weakness.
Usage Guide
- Compensate someone FOR something: compensate workers for overtime. The thing made up for takes 'for.'
- Compensate (intransitive) FOR: his enthusiasm compensates for his lack of experience — one quality offsets another.
- Don't say 'compensate something' meaning to pay for it directly; you compensate a person, and you compensate FOR a loss.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The airline agreed to compensate passengers for the long delay.
- 2.
Nothing can compensate for the loss of a close friend.
- 3.
He works extra hours to compensate for his slow start.
- 4.
Strong defense compensated for the team's weak attack.