[com.pact] adj [ME, firmly put together, fr. L compactus, fr. pp. of compingere to put together, fr. com- + pangere to fasten--more at pact] (14c) 1: predominantly formed or filled: composed, made
2. a: having a dense structure or parts or units closely packed or joined "a ~ woolen" "~ bone" b: not diffuse or verbose "a ~ statement" c: occupying a small volume by reason of efficient use of space "a ~ camera" "a ~ formation of troops" d: short-bodied, solid, and without excess flesh
3: being a topological space and esp. a metric space with the property that for any collection of open sets which contains it there is a subset of the collection with a finite number of elements which also contains it -- com.pact.ly adv -- com.pact.ness n
[2]compact vt (15c) 1: to make up by connecting or combining: compose
2. a: to knit or draw together: combine b: to press together: compress ~ vi: to become compacted -- com.pact.ible adj -- com.pac.tor also com.pact.er n [3]com.pact n (1601): something that is compact or compacted: a: a small cosmetic case (as for compressed powder) b: an automobile smaller than an intermediate but larger than a subcompact [4]com.pact n [L compactum, fr. neut. of compactus, pp. of compacisci to make an agreement, fr. com- + pacisci to contract--more at pact] (1591): an agreement or covenant between two or more parties