Definition: (1) something that counterbalances or makes up for an undesirable or unwelcome state of affairs; to neutralize or correct a wrong; recompense; (2) reduce or counteract an abnormality by exerting an opposite force
Derivation: Latin, “to weigh against”
Quotes:
• If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment. — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1872) American naturalist
• A system is in equilibrium when the forces constituting it are arranged in such a way as to compensate each other, like the two weights pulling at the arms of a pair of scales. — Rudolf Arnheim (1904–2007) German-born writer & art and film theorist