I. kəmˈpad.əbəl, -atə- adjective
Etymology: Middle French, from Medieval Latin compatibilis, from Late Latin compati to have compassion + Latin -ibilis -ible — more at compassion
1. obsolete : sharing in another's suffering
2.
a. : capable of existing together without discord or disharmony — used usually with with
slavery, which nowadays … we no longer regard as compatible with high civilization — Havelock Ellis
b. logic : so related that both or all may hold or be true : noncontradictory
c.
(1) : capable of cross-fertilizing freely
some plants are compatible
compatible pollens
(2) : uniting readily and usually permanently — used of certain plant stocks and scions
d. of drugs or medicines : not incompatible
e. : having to do with a system in which color television broadcasts may be received in black and white on ordinary receivers without special modification
f. : capable of blending into a homogeneous mixture that neither separates nor is altered by chemical interaction of ingredients
Synonyms: see consonant
II. adjective
( -s )
1. : capable of being used in transfusion or grafting without immunological reaction (as agglutination or tissue rejection)
2. : designed to work with another device or system without modification ; especially : being a computer designed to operate in the same manner and use the same software as another computer
• compatible noun