In order to know the meaning of the term compendium, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from “compendium” which can be translated as “brief exposition.” This term is the result of the sum of three clearly defined components, such as the following:
-The prefix “con-”, which means “together” or “with”.
-The verb “pendere”, which is synonymous with “hang”.
-The suffix “-io”, which is equivalent to “result”.
The notion of compendium refers to a summarized exposition that brings together the most important aspects of a topic that has already been presented previously or that is known.
Compendia are compilations of information . Although they constitute a summary of something more extensive, they usually include detailed data that allow understanding of the matter of interest.
An example of a compendium is the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church . The Catechism of the Catholic Church , also known by the acronym CIC or CCE (from the Latin Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae ), is an extensive publication that disseminates the doctrine of Catholicism. With the intention of summarizing the most important points of the CIC , Pope Benedict XVI presented the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2005 . This compendium offers a shorter and easier access to the principles of the catechism.
Another famous compendium is the Compendio Mathematico edited by Antonio Bordazar in the 18th century based on the concepts of Tomás Vicente Tosca . The compendium is based on different encyclopedic courses to transmit notions about mathematical disciplines.
In the media, we talk about a compendium with reference to an informative summary . A political analysis television program, for example, can broadcast a compendium of the most important news of the week as an introduction, followed by interviews with various experts and analysts. It is intended, with this compendium, that viewers have some basic knowledge about the events that will be examined in the program.
In the same way, in reference to the field of labor and law, we cannot ignore the existence of the book titled “Compendium of Labor Law”. It is written by Jesús Cruz Villalón and consists of a manual where the most important aspects of Labor and Social Security Law are brought together in the legal system of Spain.
This without overlooking either the fact that there is another publication that responds to the title of “Compendium of Iconography”. In this case, its author is José Policarpo Cruz Cabrera and it turns out to be an interesting work on what iconography is in art. Exactly, it comes to address what is the most relevant iconography and its main hallmarks within what is the celebration of Holy Week both in Granada in particular and in the Andalusian autonomous community in general.