1. <theory> (Or "finite", "isolated") In domain theory, an element d of a cpo D is compact if and only if, for any chain S, a subset of D, d <= lub S => there exists s in S such that d <= s. I.e. you always reach d (or better) after a finite number of steps up the chain. ("<=" is written in LaTeX as sqsubseteq). [Jargon File] (1995-01-13) 2. <jargon> Of a design, describes the valuable property that it can all be apprehended at once in one's head. This generally means the thing created from the design can be used with greater facility and fewer errors than an equivalent tool that is not compact. Compactness does not imply triviality or lack of power; for example, C is compact and Fortran is not, but C is more powerful than Fortran. Designs become non-compact through accreting features and cruft that don't merge cleanly into the overall design scheme (thus, some fans of Classic C maintain that ANSI C is no longer compact). (2008-10-13)

I. n. II. v. a. III. a.

(compacted)

Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to:

A compact newspaper is a broadsheet-quality newspaper printed in a tabloid format, especially one in the United Kingdom. The term as used for this size came into use after The Independent began producing a smaller format edition in 2003 for London's commuters, designed to be easier to read when using mass transit.

Compact is an American online magazine that began operating in March 2022. The magazine was co-founded by Marxist populist Edwin Aponte, former editor of the conservative ecumenical journal First Things, Matthew Schmitz, and conservative opinion journalist Sohrab Ahmari.