Noun (masculine)
/kam.par.tiˈmen.to/
The term compartimiento refers to a distinct section or compartment within a larger structure, used to hold or separate items from each other. It is commonly used to describe separate spaces in various contexts, such as in transportation (like trains or ships), storage, or even in legal contexts referring to different sections of a legal document.
The word is moderately frequent in both written and oral Spanish, with usage being context-dependent. It may appear more frequently in technical or formal written contexts such as legal documents and instructions, as well as in discussions about transport, engineering, or organization.
In the train, each compartment has the capacity for ten passengers.
El compartimiento del barco estaba diseñado para resistir el agua.
The compartment of the ship was designed to withstand water.
Necesito un compartimiento para almacenar mis documentos importantes.
While compartimiento itself is not commonly found in many idiomatic expressions, it may be associated with phrases related to division or structure. Here are a few expressions and their usage:
It is important to have mental compartments to manage stress.
Compartimiento de la ley
In this case, the section of the law is very broad.
Compartimientos de seguridad
The word compartimiento comes from the Spanish verb compartir, which means "to share". The prefix "com-" means "together" or "with", and "partir" means "to divide". Thus, compartimiento literally means "the act of sharing by dividing" or "the space that is shared by division".
Synonyms: - Sección (section) - División (division) - Espacio (space)
Antonyms: - Unión (union) - Totalidad (totality) - Conjunto (set or ensemble)
This comprehensive overview provides a detailed understanding of the word compartimiento across various contexts.