noun

1. a compensating or being compensated
2. 1. anything given as an equivalent, or to make amends for a loss, damage, unemployment, etc.; recompense
   2. payment for services; esp., wages or remuneration
3. Biol. the counterbalancing of a defect in the structure or function of a part by greater activity in or development of one or more other parts
4. Psychol. a mechanism by which an individual seeks to make up for a real or imagined psychological defect by developing or exaggerating a psychological strength

Etymology: ME compensacioun < L compensatio