compartment
/kəmˈpɑɹtmənt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.64 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
One of the parts into which an area is subdivided.
noun
A mound (often of grass), shelf (of e.g. wall) or other thing beneath the shield in a coat of arms on which the supporters stand.
noun
A region in the body, delimited by a biological membrane.
Example Sentences
- "Two men were seated in a well-lit compartment of a third-class railway carriage."
- "This is a second-class ticket. And you're sitting in the first class!” “I'd no idea,” Haldiram said. “I didn't know what compartment was this.” And looking around, he asked, “Where does it say First Class? I still can't see it."
- "Because of the heavy traffic, the 1960-61 Christmas guide to trains between King's Cross and the north stated: "To make travel conditions as comfortable as possible, passengers are requested to raise arm rests to enable four people to be seated on each side of those compartments which are fitted with arm rests.""
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin com- Proto-Indo-European *perh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *pérh₃tis? Proto-Italic *partis Latin pars Proto-Indo-European *-yétider. Latin -iō Latin partiō Latin partior Latin compartīrībor. Italian compartire Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Italian -mento Italian compartimentobor. Middle French compartimentder. English compartment First attested 1564, from Middle French compartiment, from Italian compartimento, from Late Latin compartiri (“to divide with, to share with”), from com- + partiri (“to apportion, to divide, to share”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: compartiment, compartimento, compartior
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kəmˈpɑɹtmənt/
- British English: /kəmˈpɑːtmənt/