compense

Compense is an English word that can function as a noun or a verb, but it is now uncommon in everyday use. As a noun, compense denotes an offset, balance, or remuneration provided in return for loss or damage. As a verb, to compense means to offset or to compensate; to counterbalance. In modern usage, however, the standard terms are compensation and compensate, while compense survives mainly as a historical or literary form.

The word derives from Old French compense or compenser, which in turn comes from the Latin compensare, meaning to balance or offset. The sense is rooted in weighing one thing against another to restore balance.

Today, compense is largely restricted to historical, legal, or literary contexts and is often labeled archaic or rare in contemporary English. It may appear in translations from French or in older legal documents; in most contemporary writing, compensation or compensate is preferred.

Related terms include compensation, compensate, recompense, indemnity, and remuneration.