early 15c., "congruence, resemblance, harmony, agreement," from Medieval Latin correspondentia, from correspondentem (nominative correspondens), present participle of correspondere "correspond, harmonize, reciprocate," from assimilated form of com "together, with (each other)" (see com-) + respondere "to answer" (see respond). Sense of "communication by letters" is first attested 1640s; that of "the letters which pass between correspondents" is from 1771.
late 14c., "to press or pack (something) together, force or drive into a smaller compass," from Old French compresser "compress, put under pressure," from Late Latin compressus, past participle of compressare "to press together," frequentative of comprimere "to squeeze," from com "with, together" (see com-) + premere "to press, hold fast, cover, crowd, compress" (from PIE root *per- (4) "to strike"). Related: Compressed; compressing. Compressed air is attested from 1660s.
late 14c., compounen, "to put together, to mix, to combine; to join, couple together," from Old French compondre, componre "arrange, direct," and directly from Latin componere "to put together," from com "with, together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (see position (n.)). The unetymological -d appeared 1500s in English by the same process that yielded expound, propound, etc. Intransitive sense is from 1727. Related: Compounded; compounding.
1640s, "corresponding in amount, degree, or magnitude," also "of equal size" (on the notion of "having the same boundaries"), from Late Latin commensuratus, from Latin com "with, together" (see com-) + Late Latin mensuratus, past participle of mensurare "to measure," from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by," from mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure," from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure." Meaning "reducible to a common measure, commensurable" is from 1680s. Related: Commensurately.
in Latin, the form of com- "together, with" in compounds with stems beginning in vowels, h-, and gn-; see com-. Taken in English from 17c. as a living prefix meaning "together, mutually, in common," and used promiscuously with native words (co-worker) and Latin-derived words not beginning with vowels (codependent), including some already having it (co-conspirator).
"containing much in comparatively small limits," 1610s, from French comprehénsif, from Late Latin comprehensivus, from comprehens-, past participle stem of Latin comprehendere "to take together, to unite; include; to comprehend, perceive" (to seize or take in the mind), from com "with, together," here probably "completely" (see com-) + prehendere "to catch hold of, seize," from prae- "before" (see pre-) + -hendere, from PIE root *ghend- "to seize, take." Related: Comprehensively (mid-15c.); comprehensiveness.
early 15c., "benefit, profit, welfare;" also "a convenient or useful product," from Old French commodit "benefit, profit" (15c.) and directly from Latin commoditatem (nominative commoditas) "fitness, adaptation, convenience, advantage," from commodus "proper, fit, appropriate, convenient, satisfactory," from com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + modus "measure, manner" (from PIE root *med- "take appropriate measures").
From early 15c. as "article of merchandise, anything movable of value that can be bought or sold." General sense "property, possession" is from c. 1500.
1640s, "to be equivalent;" 1650s, "to counterbalance, make up for, give a substitute of equal value to," from Latin compensatus, past participle of compensare "to weigh one thing (against another)," thus, "to counterbalance," etymologically "to weigh together," from com "with, together" (see com-) + pensare, frequentative of pendere "to hang, cause to hang; weigh; pay" (from PIE root *(s)pen- "to draw, stretch, spin"). Meaning "to recompense, remunerate" is from 1814. The earlier verb in English was compense (late 14c.). Related: Compensated; compensating.
1590s, "call to remembrance," from Latin commemoratus, past participle of commemorare "bring to remembrance," from com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + memorare "to remind," from memor "mindful of" (from PIE root *(s)mer- (1) "to remember").
Meaning "perpetuate the memory of" (by solemn act, etc.) is from 1630s. Of things, "to serve as a memento of, to perpetuate the memory of," 1766. Related: Commemorated; commemorates; commemorating.
