I. kəmˈpärtmənt, -pȧt- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French compartiment, from Italian compartimento, from compartire + -mento -ment
1. : a subdivision of a plane surface: as
a. : a separate division of a structure or design (as a panel or coffer in a ceiling or a sculptured subdivision of a portal)
b. obsolete : compartition
2. : a subdivision especially of a series of abstractions, an integrated organization, or a body of knowledge : section , part
the compartments of your mind
3. : a subdivision of three-dimensional space: as
a. : a small chamber, receptacle, or container
the seeds may be found in numerous compartments within the pod
the compartments of a roulette wheel
b.
(1) : a private room on a sleeping car that has toilet facilities and berths and is larger than a bedroom and smaller than a drawing room
(2) in Europe and elsewhere outside of the United States : a private room in a railroad passenger car with or without berths and toilet facilities
(3) in Great Britain : one of the subdivisions of a railroad passenger car having seats that face each other and opening into a side corridor or extending entirely across the car
c. : one of the sections into which the interior of a ship is divided by bulkheads
d. military : an area bounded by such topographic features (as woods or ridges) that observation and direct fire into the area are limited — compare corridor
II. -tˌment, -tmənt transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to break down (as into sections or segments) : divide up
a compartmented box
biology is compartmented into a host of special sciences — Scientific American Reader
2. : to separate into mutually isolated units
in the protected and compartmented society of Beacon Hill — John Mason Brown
international treaties must be discussed as a whole; they may not be compartmented — H.M.Dorr & H.L.Bretton