Etymograph

English

compact

Compact comes from Latin compactum ‘agreement’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompactum‘agreement’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1922compact

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompactum‘agreement’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1922compact

Earliest quotation: 1922, Eric Rücker Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance: “O Gorice XI., most glorious King of Witchland, and…”

Every English word from Latin compactum

Another origin of compact

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*peh₂ǵ-‘to attach, fix, fasten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ph₂-n-ǵ-reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pangōreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpangō‘fasten’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompingō‘join together’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompāctus‘attached’perfect passive participle of compingō
  7. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600compact
  8. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

noun An agreement or contract.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin compactum / compact

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