kəmˈpen(t)səˌtōrē, (ˈ)käm|p-, -tȯr-, -ri adjective
Etymology: compensate + -ory
: serving as compensation : making amends : making up for loss
a compensatory enlargement of the heart
to overcome this feeling of inferiority by developing such compensatory mechanisms as intelligent aggression or shrewdness — Edward Sapir
as
a. : designed to counteract extreme fluctuations in the business cycle especially by governmental planning and adjustments in revenue programs and government expenditures
theories of compensatory fiscal policy
a compensatory economy
b. : maintaining the length of a syllable — used especially of the lengthening of a vowel when a following consonant is lost (Latin cānus, earlier căsnus ) or the doubling of a consonant when a preceding vowel becomes short (Latin lĭttera, earlier lītera )