compendium Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a publication containing a variety of works
    collection.
  2. noun a concise but comprehensive summary of a larger work

WordNet

Com*pen"di*um noun
Etymology
L. compendium that which is wieghed, saved, or shortened, a short way, fr. compendere to weigh; com- + pendere to weigh. See Pension, and cf. Compend.
Wordforms
plural E Compendiums L Compendia
Definitions
  1. A brief compilation or composition, containing the principal heads, or general principles, of a larger work or system; an abridgment; an epitome; a compend; a condensed summary.
    A short system or compendium of a sience. I. Watts.
    Syn. -- See Abridgment.

Webster 1913