rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycompendiumConcise collection of information
noun

compendium

kum-PEN-dee-um/kəmˈpendiəm/

A concise collection of information on a subject.

The botanical compendium gathers compact entries on many plants.

A slim, open botanical reference volume gathers many plants into compact, orderly entries, each pairing a whole-plant drawing with small leaf, flower, and seed diagrams.
Etymology
comLatintogether
+pendiumLatinto weigh

Literally “that which is weighed together,” compendium meant a shortening or saving. Its literary use applies that shortening to information, presenting the principal points of a larger work in compact form.

In context

Leaf by Leaf1:08
bring them together into one compendium as he says in the preface the following collection of sayings by Oscar Wilde
THE EPIGRAMS of Oscar Wilde

More examples

  • She compiled a compendium of local legends.
  • A compact compendium summarized the field's major discoveries.
  • The library acquired a compendium of botanical knowledge.

Forms

compendium · compendiums · compendia

compendious adjective — containing much information concisely

Similar words

summary
A summary condenses a particular work or matter; a compendium gathers information from a broader subject.
anthology
An anthology collects selected works; a compendium collects concise subject information.