Compend

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A brief compilation that summarizes the core elements of a topic
2. A compact representation that gathers essential information about a subject matter
3. A short document presenting the most important facts about a particular topic

Etymology: Its root is the Latin verb "pendere," "to weigh" or "to hang," which also gives English "pendulum," "pension," and "pendant." The Latin noun "compendium" joined "com-" (together) to that verb, so its first sense was something like "a weighing together." From there it came to mean a saving or gain, the way several items bundled into one save time and effort. The sense of a shortened treatment of a subject arrived later, as writers used "compendium" for a work that gathered and condensed a larger body of knowledge. English took "compendium" from Latin in the early modern period, and it kept both senses for a while. The shorter form "compend" is a later English clipping, a back-formation from the longer word, and it has stayed closer to the abridged-summary sense than to the older idea of economy. I am not certain of the exact date when "compend" first appeared in print, so I have left that out.

Synonyms: compendium, summary, digest, abridgment, overview