Compensates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To counterbalance a loss or shortfall by offering something equivalent or equivalent value, thereby adjusting a situation to achieve balance
2. Provides a balance by giving something in return for a deficit or harm experienced
3. Acts to correct an unfavorable condition by supplying an equivalent or suitable return

Etymology: Compensates is the third-person singular form of "compensate", so the verb itself is the story. It was borrowed from Latin "compensare", meaning to weigh one thing against another, and the Latin image is a literal one: a scale with a weight placed in one pan to match a weight in the other. The Latin verb was built from "com-", meaning together, and "pensare", a frequentative of "pendere", to weigh or hang. The "-ate" ending is the common suffix that turns a Latin root into a verb. So at its core the word describes weighing two things together until they balance, which is why the modern sense of making up for a loss still carries the idea of an equal counterweight.

Synonyms: recompenses, offsets, makes up for, reimburses, counterbalances

Antonyms: penalizes, punishes, deprives, takes away, negates